Little Predicaments
by Neko-Salosa
Summary: A new virus gets out and causes havoc. Lot's of havoc... and yeah. Humor, wackyness and all around disturingness is garunteed. Please, read the warnings. EnzanNetto and I'm not sure about the navi parings yet. Finished
1. Default Chapter

Okay warnings. Lots of them.

BLAME DIGIKITTY! She blakmailed me into it!

Shouen Ai, Transgender-ness, some explicit material (I can't help it and you'll see why) and my normal stuff. Okay, you've been warned NO FLAMES.

One aspect Netto loved about being a Net Savior were the days were he could just sit with his best friends and talk. This included his navi friends as well, which meant that he, Enzan and Laika got to talk to their navi's in dimensional areas on a regular basis. He figured that it was one of the few real perks of the job, well that and getting his school tuitions paid for before he even went.

It was one of those rare afternoons when he, Laika, Enzan, Rockman, Blues and Searchman was just sitting, not fighting, but sitting together in a comfy pillow filled room and talking. It never occurred to Netto that his more anti social colleagues would like to talk, but that was before they started to meet in the DA Rooms like that. There was a lot he didn't know about his friends before they started to talk.

Rockman was once again the life of the gathering, telling them of his adventures with Roll the week before. Netto loved watching his older brother talk. He always got into it, waving his hands around like a symphony conductor; it was almost comical in a way.

"And then this really big metool comes out of nowhere…" Rockman waved his hands, trying to express just how big it was. Netto could tell the others were trying not to crack up. He wasn't so polite.

"Ha! Yeah right, there is no metool that big. Unless you count the one that Duo sent down here six months ago." He laughed.

Rockman pouted. "I'm not lying! It really was that big!" he said crossing his arms.

Netto poked Rockman in the side, "Yeah right, you're just a scaredy cat."

Rockman jumped at the intrusion of his personal space. "I am not!"

"Scaredy cat, scaredy cat!" Netto sing songed.

Rockman picked up a pillow and flung it at Netto. It caught him full in the face and dropped to the floor with a dull thumping sound. "You did not just so that." Said Netto.

Rockman smiled sweetly and picked up another pillow. Netto armed himself and flung his own ammunition at Rockman. Rockman dodged and some of Netto's pillows hit Blues and Enzan who were sitting on a couch next to Rockman. Enzan felt a little playful and picked them up, whatever happened in the room, stayed in the room. Soon everyone was in on the pillow fight.

After ten minutes of throwing the poor pillows at each other, they finally flopped, exhausted on the couches. Netto fell on Rockman making him wince. "Get off Netto-kun, your heavy."

"Shut up Rockman, I am not." Netto retorted.

Laika snorted. "With how much you eat, I'm not surprised you're bigger then you are."

Netto glared at Laika, he may have been nicer but he could still be a jerk sometimes.

Rockman reached over and tickled Netto into submission, making him laugh and squirm until he fell off the couch.

"Owwww, no fair Rockman." Said Netto, rubbing his head.

Blues looked down at Netto. "Shouldn't you be able to use your reflexes to avoid a fall like that, Netto-san?"

Netto sat up and glared at Blues. "First of all, please call me Netto-kun, if anything at all. And second of all, he was tickling me. How about you get tickled and see how well your reflexes work!" he said.

"I'm merely a navi, we aren't ticklish." Said Blues in a matter-of-fact tone.

Enzan rolled his eyes, sometimes he regretted programming Blues the way he did.

Netto looked at him. "Really? Rockman's ticklish." Said Netto.

"I am not." Rockman retorted.

"You are too!" said Netto.

Laika rubbed his eyes. He was amazed they didn't realize Netto and Rockman were brothers on their own; they certainly fought enough to be siblings.

"Am not!"

"Oh, you so are."

"Then prove it!" said Rockman.

Netto tackled his navi and started to tickle him. Rockman started to laugh, trying to push Netto off him, but he was weak from the tickling. Netto finally let up and sat back to let his brother get some air.

"Are too." Said Netto.

Rockman growled at Netto and everyone else looked at them. Searchman gave an attempt at humor. "You two are lucky no one else knows that, or you'd be defeated by an asteroid tickling you into submission."

Enzan actually laughed at that remark. "That'd be embarrassing."

Netto flipped upside down on the couch and looked at Enzan through his bandana. "Well, then don't tell anyone."

Enzan sighed and picked up a magazine on the table. He started to idly flip through the pages until he came to something that made his eyes widen. Netto and the others knew that Enzan widening his eyes was equivalent to someone gasping in surprise. "What is it?" asked Rockman.

"This is an article on the top ten most bizarre viruses." Said Enzan.

"Neko virus?" asked Netto.

"Second." Came the reply.

Laika looked up from his own novel. "What on earth came before the Neko Virus?" he asked curiously.

Enzan shook his head. "The transgender virus."

Netto fell off the couch and landed on his head. "What?" he asked.

Enzan shook his head. "I'm not kidding. That's what came in first."

Blues took the magazine from Enzan and started to read the tidbit on the virus. "Originally developed by an eccentric programmer, this harmless program mutated into a virus after being neglected on a virus ridden computer for three months. It has been quarantined for three months, but scientists are still puzzled as to how the virus actually infects a program, or how it does what it does. It is kept in the same facility as the Neko virus and is under level ten security. This odd virus gains the number one spot as the most bizarre virus in the world."

Netto flipped over and sat back on the couch next to Rockman. "Well that is messed up." Said Netto.

Searchman didn't even reply, but started to polish his default gun, which as the rest of them knew was a sign of when he was nervous.

Laika returned to his novel. "I doubt that the virus will get free, the article did say that it was under level ten security."

Enzan nodded. "Yeah, the Neko virus has more of a chance getting out again then that one."

Netto shuddered. "I hope not. The Neko virus was awful."

Enzan raised an eyebrow. "You'd rather be a girl?" asked Enzan.

Netto sat up and glared at Enzan. "What? Hell no! I was just saying that the Neko virus was not fun."

"Netto-san, would you even get infected?" asked Searchman.

A vain throbbed in Netto's forehead. "It's kun, Netto-kun, not san. And, I have no idea, do you Rockman?"

Rockman shrugged his shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine, Netto-san."

Netto tackled his twin and tickled him until he apologized.

Three weeks later Enzan woke up to a peculiar news story on the morning news show. A very hyper Kero was jumping around and yelling something about her Toadman, Enzan started to get a head ache from the shouts and turned off the TV. He figured he needed a cup of coffee that morning and went down stairs to make some.

He put everything in his coffee maker and turned it on, letting the brown liquid pour soothingly into his cup. He picked up the white ceramic and breathed in the smell. Enzan could never quite say why, but coffee was the most soothing smell he could think of, well that and his mother's perfume.

He walked through the halls of his mansion sipping on his morning drink and psyching himself up for work. Halfway through his drink he remembered a file that he left on his desktop the night before.

"Blues, can you get the statistics file for me?" he called out. He knew Blues was somewhere, waiting for his call, or at least he was somewhere within shouting distance. After ten minutes Enzan stood where he was getting slightly impatient. "Blues! Where are you?" he called again.

After another ten minutes Enzan finally pressed the call button. "Blues," he spoke into the com with as much authority as he could muster at 6 in the morning. "get down here now."

Blues came in sheepishly, trying to hide. Enzan was puzzled as to why his navi was trying to hide from him. "Blues, please, just get the statistics file so we can go to work."

Blues cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "Ummm, Enzan-sama," he said quietly, "I think we had a little problem in the internet last night."

Enzan took a sip of his coffee. "Well, it can't be that bad if you're up, so get that file and let's go."

Blues stepped out of his hiding place and Enzan spit all of his coffee out, all over the red carpet.

Laika discovered his poor navi's issue early on and quickly ran out of the hotel he was staying in the see if Enzan was awake. Blues hadn't answered his calls so he figured they were dealing with their own issues. He was closer to the mansion then Netto and Rockman's house so he decided to visit them first. He ran up the huge lawn and knocked on the door.

Enzan answered rather quickly. "I can't believe it." He said, stunned. He was gripping a coffee mug like it was his life support and Laika couldn't blame him. It took him a half hour to get used to Searchman.

"Well, so much for level ten security." He said, dryly.

Enzan shook his head disbelievingly and motioned Laika inside. "I know, this is almost a little to disturbing to think about."

"Well, at least we haven't heard from Netto and Rockman yet, so that's a good sign." Replied Laika.

Enzan paled. "Oh god, Netto. He doesn't get up for school until seven."

If Laika had a drink, he would have spit it out, just as Enzan had. "Oh no." he said.

Netto woke up that morning and turned on his shower. The previous night had not been fun; Rockman had kept him up until 2:35 am to finish his math homework. He hated math, programming was great but math was just something he couldn't handle. He stepped gingerly into the shower and started to wash his hair, letting the tension headache he fell asleep with ease up a little.

He took what felt like a twenty minute shower, at least. It was very relaxing and he felt much better after it was over. He started to brush his teeth as the mirror started to defog. After spitting out his toothpaste and rinsing off the brush, he felt something, jiggle.

Netto looked up into the mirror to see what was going on, and almost fainted for his trouble.

Two halls down Rockman could hear Netto's cry. Maybe not telling him earlier wasn't such a good idea.


	2. New Changes

Netto quickly flipped around letting his back face the mirror and wrapped his towel tightly around his chest. He took deep breaths while trying to assess what exactly had happened to his body. When he finally came to grips with at least the part about the new set of body parts he had attained he quietly walked out of the bathroom and to his room so he wouldn't wake his mom.

He shut his bedroom door behind him, still clutching the towel around his chest and looked for his PET. "Rockman, where are you?" he called out. Then he slapped a hand over his mouth. 'Oh god, I sound like a girl…' he said to himself.

Rockman laughed nervously in his PET, his voice also female. "S-sorry, Netto-kun. I thought you would have noticed when you woke up," he said.

Netto looked irritated. "Rockman, have I ever been completely awake when I get out of bed?"

Rockman nervously shook his head no.

Netto growled in reply and looked around for his clothes. He found them exactly where he tossed them the night before, and he wasn't willing to look for a clean set. Not when he considered what he had just gone through, he needed to get to his papa, quickly.

He looked at Rockman in the PET. "Turn around," he commanded.

"Netto-kun, come on, I just went through the same thing. It's not like it's that different," he said exasperatedly.

Netto narrowed his eyes. "You don't have to get dressed, Saito-nii-san, turn around."

Rockman rolled his own eyes and did as he was instructed. Netto put on his clothes as comfortably as he possibly could, but quickly ran into a problem. 'Oh crap, they stick out,' he thought, looking down.

Rockman inadvertently heard his twin's thought and turned around to see what was the problem. "Wow, Netto-kun," he said, searching for what to say. "Why are yours bigger then mine?" he asked after a few minutes.

Netto gave Rockman a look that would have made Forte cower. "What did you just say?"

Rockman quickly put up his hands in defense. "I mean, we're twins aren't we?" he said laughing nervously.

Netto looked like he was going to yell at Rockman but then he just sighed and turned around. "Whatever just help me find my bandana," he muttered.

Rockman and Netto searched the tiny room for the scrap of blue fabric but to no avail. Netto had opened all of his dresser drawers and rifled through all of them in his effort to find it. Rockman was ready to point out that he could just change into a better outfit until they found their dad but they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

Netto quickly sat up and slammed his head into the drawer open above him. "Ow!" he cried out and rubbed the stinging spot on his head. He heard a knock on his door.

"Netto, are you okay?" asked Laika.

Netto looked at the door in horror and made a daring escape into his closet. "He's fine, come on in," called Rockman.

Laika and Enzan came into Netto's room and surveyed the damage. "Rockman, where…" started Blues.

Rockman pointed to the closet door and rolled his eyes at the same time.

"So he..." started Enzan.

Rockman nodded.

Enzan went over to the closet door and knocked on it. "Come on out Netto, you can't stay in there forever," he said.

"Yes I can," mumbled Netto.

"For heavens' sake Netto-kun, stop acting like a baby and come out, it's not like you were the only one infected!" said Rockman, rather sternly.

"Shut up Rockman, you're not being very fair!" Netto yelled back.

Laika and Enzan decided not to comment of the vocal change, as they knew from the few word they had heard their navi's say, the change did not stop with the appearance. Laika came over and tried his luck. "Netto, if you'll come out then we can actually go try and fix it."

Netto held the door shut. "Hell no! I'm staying in here and you can't do anything to make me come out!" he yelled.

Enzan and Laika looked at each other and sighed. Trust Netto to make everything ten times worse, even when he didn't try. Before they could make another attempt, Netto burst out of the closet yelling and tackled head first into Enzan, knocking them both on the floor.

"What the?" asked Laika.

Netto flipped around and pointed at the closet with a shaking finger. "S-sp-spider!" he said.

Enzan groaned and pushed Netto off of him, so he could breathe. "Netto, since when are you scared of spiders?" he asked.

Rockman laughed. "Netto-kun has been scared of spiders forever. Even though there is nothing to be afraid of."

Netto looked annoyed. "Look who's talking Mr. I-freak-at-the-mention-of-the-word-ghost. At least what I'm scared of is real!" he said.

"Ghosts are real!" said Rockman.

"Right, real," said Netto sarcastically.

"Well, it hasn't been proven they aren't real!" said Rockman in return.

"So! No one's ever proven they are!" Netto shot back.

Laika cleared his throat and everyone's attention became focused on him. He held up a crumpled tissue and said, "Netto, the spider is in here, and its dead, so calm down."

Netto crossed his arms. "I am calm," he muttered.

Laika and Enzan finally took in their best friend's new appearance. Netto looked up at both of them and blushed. "What?" he asked.

Enzan and Laika both blushed and looked away. "N-nothing," they said simultaneously.

Netto blushed himself and stood up. "Excuse me, I'll be right back," he said slamming the door on his way out.

"I thought you two were twins," said Blues.

"Yeah, that's what I said," said Rockman.

Netto walked back into his room five minutes later with his hair in its normal spiky position and a flat chest.

Everyone looked a little surprised. "How did you do that?" asked Rockman.

"I bound my chest…" he muttered, blushing scarlet.

"Doesn't it hurt, Netto-san?" asked Searchman.

"Well duh! I'm not about to go announce to the world that I can get infected with computer viruses, okay?" he said grabbing his PET and stalking out the door.

Laika blinked. "He's a little touchy isn't he?"

Blues coughed. "Well, who wouldn't be?"

Netto walked into Sci Labs and made his way to his father's laboratory as quickly as he could. He was well known by most of the staff, but they were all too busy with the virus escaping to notice him. Something that Netto was extremely grateful for.

Laika and Enzan followed him in, but kept their distance seeing as how Netto wasn't in the most forgiving mood at that particular moment, and they knew better then most people that it took very little to set Netto off.

Netto knocked on his dad's office door and waited for a response. He heard a faint "Come in" from his dad and opened the door.

His father was the only one inside and he slowly walked in. "I'm a little busy right now," said Dr. Hikari without looking up from his papers "so I'm sorry if I can't help you…" he looked up. "Netto! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked.

Netto looked down at the floor blushing like mad; just then Laika and Enzan came to the door entrance. Laika shut the door to make sure that no one heard the conversation that was about to follow.

Rockman laughed. "Papa, we have a little problem…" he said.

Yuuichiro looked at them with a puzzled gaze.

Enzan spoke up. "Sir, you do know of the new virus that just got out, don't you?"

"New virus?" he asked.

Everyone was speechless.

"You mean, you haven't been told what all the commotion is outside your office?" asked Laika motioning to the door.

"I just thought it was project jitters. Some interns have a big project due tomorrow," said Dr. Hikari. "What's this all about?"

Netto slapped a hand on his forehead. "I don't believe this," he growled.

"What's wrong, do you have a cold?" he asked Netto, a look of concern on his face.

Netto lost all of his ability to be nice and tactful at that point. "No papa, Rockman and I are girls."

Yuuichiro looked at them in a stunned silence. "This is no time for jokes son, I'm very busy right now and I can't really be bothered."

Netto walked over to his dad's desk and held Rockman's PET three inches from his face. Rockman waved sheepishly. "Hi papa."

Yuuichiro looked like he was about to faint. "Wh-what happened?"

"It seems that some kind of virus that changed the navi's gender program got out last night, Hikari Hakase," said Enzan.

Yuuichiro looked at Netto. "You too?"

Netto nodded looking a little more then upset.

"But what about…" he blushed. It was a peculiar thing to see Hikari Yuuichiro blush but there was a first time for everything.

"Netto-kun bound himself so he could go out in public," Rockman explained quickly.

Yuuichiro put his head in his hands and started to massage his temples. "I see," he said softly.

Netto cleared his throat. "Well, what are we going to do?" he asked.

"Well, I suggest that you tell your mother soon, and you should also tell Manabe-san."

"Why her?" asked Blues.

"Because, she's someone you two can probably trust. Does she know about your link?" he asked.

Netto nodded. "She found out a few months ago."

Enzan smiled, he remembered that battle.

"Good, then you should go to her. I'm sorry Netto, but I really don't think I can be much of help to you."

"W-wait, you can't reprogram it or get rid of it?" asked Netto a little panicked.

"I afraid not, we have to wait to find the virus, and if my memory serves me correctly, the transgender virus is a formless virus meaning…"

"It can take on any shape it wants," finished Searchman. He had been in contact with such viruses before, they weren't easy to capture or destroy.

Yuuichiro nodded his head. "Yes, so for now I suggest you go to Manabe-san."

Netto looked a little put out but nodded his head. "All right, but do I have to go to school?" he asked.

Yuuichiro laughed. "For now, no. Let's handle one problem at a time."

/Thank god./ said Netto to his twin.

/There's always a silver lining./ said Rockman, with a hint of a smile.

Enzan, Netto and Laika walked along the streets of Densan slowly making their way towards the Net Saviors HQ to talk to Manabe-san. Netto was currently a little more relaxed then he was earlier, and it helped that he really wasn't complaining as much as the others had thought he would.

Netto sighed halfway there, "This sucks."

Enzan looked at him. "Are you sure that's not an understatement?" he asked.

Netto glanced at him as he continued to walk. "Well, I guess it is, but I'm just trying to figure out, why would someone make this?"

Enzan and Laika shrugged simultaneously. "Who knows? I can think of a lot of reasons, a lot of them I really don't want to think about too hard." Enzan replied.

Netto giggled and it sounded very girly but no one commented. "Well, hopefully it will get caught soon," he said.

Searchman kept his opinions to himself but he knew that it could be a very long time before the virus was found and even longer before it was captured.

After that statement there was an awkward silence that lasted for the last few minutes of the trip. Netto laughed nervously as they came up to the large HQ building. "Well, I guess we're here."

Enzan nodded and went up to the large glass doors, they opened smoothly to admit them and they slowly walked inside. Netto was starting to feel a little less then thrilled about telling his boss about his new problems. The more they walked to her office the worse he felt and Rockman could tell that he was ready to run.

/Netto-kun, are you really that scared of her/ He asked.

Netto looked down and blushed. /No, of course not, I mean, she's my boss and I'm going to her for help./

Rockman sounded skeptical. /Right, you don't sound to sure of yourself there./

/Well! I'm about to go up to a woman I really look up to and tell her I got turned into a girl, wouldn't you be a bit scared/ he mentally yelled at his twin.

/So you are scared/ answered Rockman.

Netto was silent as he couldn't think of a retort and all too soon they were standing outside her office.

"Uhhh, you know what!" Netto said brightly, "I think I'll come back later." He turned around ready to get out of there but Enzan and Laika both grabbed the back of his vest making him wince.

"Nice try Netto," said Laika, dryly.

Netto almost let a small whimper escape his lips but he caught himself in time. "Jerks." He muttered under his breath.

Laika let Enzan hold Netto in place as he knocked on the large wooden door.

"Come in," came Manabe-san's faint voice. She must have been in a different room because when they went in they could not find the pretty Net Savior.

Manabe came out of a back room looking slightly flushed and dressing in workout attire. She smiled and nodded to the three of them. "Please take a seat, I'll just be a few minutes," she waved her hand towards the comfy looking couch in front of her desk.

They sat down and waited a tad uncomfortably for Manabe to change. After a few minutes she came out and sat down behind her desk. She folded her hands on top of the desk and smiled, "So, how can I help you three?" she asked.

Netto shifted uncomfortably in-between Laika and Enzan. Laika was the first to speak, "I'm sure you've heard of the virus that's gotten out."

Manabe sighed. "Your navi's have been infected?" she asked, looking at them a bit sadly.

"Well yes, but," said Enzan but he was cut off.

"I'm sure you three know I can't do anything about that. For now we'll just have to put up with it the best we possibly can," she finished.

Enzan nodded, "Yes, we understand that, we're here for a different reason."

Manabe looked puzzled. "Didn't you say you were here because of the virus?" she asked.

Netto started to blush a deep shade of crimson. It was so bad that Rockman felt the heat on his cheeks, and he wasn't even embarrassed. Well, not for the same reasons as Netto at least.

Manabe was a very quick woman and as she saw Netto blushing she got it. "Oh," she said softly.

At that moment it took all of Enzan's willpower not to laugh. He couldn't help it, he just found that particular moment to be so funny, and maybe it was just the shock of realizing that Netto and Blues were actually and truly girls. Never the less, the others did not miss the tell tale shaking of his shoulders.

Netto glared daggers at Enzan and Manabe stood up from her desk. "So, you're navis are having problems as well?" she asked, her voice a bit strained.

Laika nodded his head. "We already told you that Manabe-san."

Manabe smiled gently. "So, may I ask why you are here, aside from the obvious reasons, of course?"

"Well, my dad said that I should come to you because of what happened…" said Netto his blush deepening even more. "And I really don't know who else to turn too…" he finished, his voice trailing off.

Rockman felt sorry for Netto because he actually had to deal with the part where no one else could find out, which would be hard. Not to mention, painful. Still, it wasn't like Netto was the only one affected, just the only human.

Manabe smiled and nodded. "I understand, it's all right. I should have guessed what happened as soon as saw you three in my office," Manabe looked a little puzzled. "Still, if you were infected, then where are…"

Netto felt that if he blushed any more he would light his hair of fire, he certainly felt that way. "I bound them…" he said in a very small voice.

Manabe felt slightly regretful that she had asked the question, but she needed to know. "I see, well, that's certainly one way to deal with it," she winked to make the tension lift a little.

The gesture was much appreciated and the three humans relaxed a little, as did their navi's. "So now what?" asked Rockman.

Manabe coughed. "I'd actually like to speak to Netto-kun in private, I think I understand one reason his father sent him to me. Do you two mind?"

Enzan and Laika quickly shook their heads and stood up. "Well be downstairs doing research on this virus if you need us," said Laika. Enzan nodded his consent and they left the room.

When the door closed Manabe smiled at Netto. "Well, I'm not meaning to be blunt here, but depending on how big you are, we might have to get you a bra for the time being."

Netto quickly went from his ruby hue to a stark white. "Wh-what?"

Manabe nodded. "Well, I'm sure you don't want to be bound all the time that would hurt wouldn't it? Just for when you're alone, of course."

Netto shook his head, "No way, I'll live with the pain thank you very much."

Manabe sighed. "That's not very fair to your brother is it?" she asked.

Netto was speechless for a bit. "I don't mind, Netto-kun, if you really don't want to," said Rockman quickly.

Netto looked down. "No, she's right, it's not fair."

"B-but, Netto-kun I'm not forcing you…" said Rockman.

Netto shook his head. "Nah, it's all right. It'll probably be better for me in the long run anyways."

"Are you sure Netto-kun?" asked Rockman.

"I guess," said Netto.

Manabe smiled. "Okay then, don't worry Netto-kun, I'll just measure you and get them, you won't have to set foot in a store."

Relief washed over Netto. "Really?" he said.

Manabe nodded. "Yes, that would be asking a little too much. Now, care to 'unbind' yourself so I can measure?"

After Netto was measured and rebound he went downstairs to meet up with his friends. He walked in on them staring at their computer screens. "Bored?" he asked.

Enzan groaned, which was very unlike Enzan. "This guy's records are spotless, and he didn't even register the TG Programs! He just created it for kicks and forgot about it. Now he probably doesn't even know that it's his program."

Netto smiled weakly. "Any idea where he is?"

Laika shook his head. "No, he hasn't been seen for years. This scientist has a habit of literally disappearing off the face of the earth when he gets a new program brainstorm."

Netto sighed and flopped into a revolving chair. "What's his name?" he asked.

"Dr. Cunningham," said Laika and Enzan simultaneously.

"Odd name," mused Netto.

"Oh, everything about this guy is odd," Enzan said dryly.

Netto snickered, "Oh well, let's hope he turns up and in the meantime we can look for the virus."

"Always the optimist, aren't you Netto-san?" asked Searchman.

Netto shrugged. "Well, I can't stay bitter forever. Rockman would kill me for one."

Rockman laughed. "Yeah, no kidding, I was ready to kill you that one time you had gotten angry a Meiru for a whole week."

Netto smiled and spun lazily in his chair. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Enzan stuck out his foot to stop Netto. "Quit it, you're making me dizzy."

Netto stuck his tongue out at Enzan, "Then don't watch."

Laika sighed, "You two really need to grow up, and I never thought I'd have to say that to you Enzan."

Blues laughed softly in his PET, only loud enough for Rockman and Searchman to hear.

Netto and Enzan were about to reply when they heard a crash and a yelp outside. They all ran outside to see a short, brown haired secretary on the ground rubbing her head with papers scattered all around her.

Netto's eyes widened in recognition, "Yui-nee-san!" he said, surprised.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I swear I thought I was gonna get lynched for this fic. I'm glad people like it, I guess I have a talent for writing humor XD

Thanks for your reviews, I loveses them! huggles reviews


	3. Yui Hazuki

Yui rubbed the back of her head and groaned. She had taken quite a fall there, a flight of stairs and two people who were unfortunate to be in her way during the fall. When she started to feel the pain to subside she heard her name called in a familiar voice.

"Yui-nee-san!" Netto called again.

Yui looked up again and saw Netto standing over her holding out a hand; she accepted and let the brunette help her to her feet. "Ah, thanks Netto-kun," she said smiling.

Netto looked up at the young secretary with a mild air of curiosity. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Yui winked, "I'm looking for a job. My other job was just an internship, now I'm setting off on my own."

Netto smiled, "That's great, Yui-nee-san!" he said.

Yui blushed and nodded. "Thank you, I hope I can land a job soon though. By the way Netto-kun, do you have a cold?"

Netto blinked, "Ummm, I uh…"

Enzan came over and elbowed Netto making him yelp and rub his stinging arm while Enzan said "Yes, we're just doing some research today anyways."

Yui blinked and smiled, "Oh, that's wonderful! Can you boys show me to Manabe-san's office then? I need to hand in my resume."

"Actually, Manabe-san isn't here," said Laika coming in on the conversation. "She's out running some….errands I believe."

Netto turned a heavy scarlet and vaguely wondered how Laika found out.

"Oh, okay thanks for telling me. Do you know who I can turn my resume into then?"

Laika shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I don't know who is in charge of that kind of thing in this facility."

Yui looked a bit put out by Laika's cool attitude and barely managed to stutter out, "O-oh."

Netto threw Laika a dirty look and went over to Yui, "Don't worry about him; Manabe-san should be back soon. She left a few hours ago, want to see where her office is?"

"Oh will you?" she said gratefully. "I've been wandering around this huge place for hours. No one will tell me anything, they're all so busy."

"I wonder why?" Enzan whispered sarcastically to Laika.

Netto threw the pair another dirty look and smiled at Yui. He liked the young secretary and she deserved any chance she got. "Sure, actually a virus got out yesterday so that's why everyone is so busy. But don't worry, I'll show you around."

Yui smiled, "Thanks so much Netto-kun. I've been very put out lately; I can't seem to land a job."

Netto laughed, "Its okay, I'm sure Manabe will at least see you."

Yui nodded and followed the young net savior to the office of Manabe with Laika and Enzan close behind to ensure that the two wouldn't create any problems, accidents or otherwise.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The four humans waited inside the well furnished office, patiently waiting for Manabe to return from her shopping. About a half hour later, filled with pleasant conversation between Netto and Yui, Manabe entered the room carrying a few shopping bags.

She looked at Netto then Yui and gave the boys a questioning look. Netto stood up and pointed to Yui, "She's looking for a job, and she got lost looking for you office," he said.

Manabe looked at the mousy secretary and smiled at her warmly, making Yui relax considerably. "Of course, I placed an ad for a secretary a few days ago. How wonderful that someone responded so quickly."

Yui stood up with her arms stiffly at her sides looking like a solider. "I am here for a secretarial job, ma'am. Here is my resume!" she announced in a loud voice and handed Manabe the small brown folder containing her resume.

Manabe smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am actually almost up to my neck in work. I'll look over these right now and tell you if you have the job in a few minutes. Care to wait outside?"

The foursome waited by the hot drink vending machine sipping on coffee and in Netto's case, hot chocolate. Yui looked nervous to the point where Enzan and Laika felt sorry for her. "Oh, what if she says no? I don't think I'll have any chance of finding a job in this recession."

Netto took another sip of the now rapidly cooling drink. "Yui-nee-san, I don't think you need to worry. Manabe-san is really nice."

"But, what if she says no!" Yui said in a high voice.

Even Enzan and Laika attempted to comfort the would-be secretary. "Netto's right, Manabe-san is really nice; I don't think you'll have any problems in getting a job with her somehow. As long as you have good credentials," said Enzan.

Laika nodded, "I agree with Enzan. What are your credentials, anyway?" he asked.

Yui looked thoughtful, "Well, I had an internship with Insura Corp and I have a letter of recommendation from the President, Vice President and CEO. Do you think that's enough?" she looked suddenly worried.

The three just stared at her. Enzan finally coughed and said, "Hazuki-san, if that's what you really have in there, I think you're fine."

Netto smiled, "Who knew Yui-nee-san was such a good secretary?" he said.

Yui smiled. "Oh, I'm fine at the computer and being alone or with my boss. It's when I'm with other people that I get all flustered and clumsy."

Netto opened his mouth to reply but Manabe came into the small hallway carrying Yui's resume. Yui stood rigidly again awaiting Manabe's decision. Manabe smiled warmly and held out the small envelope and Yui's heart sank.

"You have some amazing credentials here, Hazuki-san. I'm amazed that you're superior's spoke so highly of you. Welcome aboard," said Manabe.

Yui bowed in a quick gesture. "Thanks for your time, I'll be leaving…" Yui opened one eye. "What?"

Manabe giggled softly. "I said 'Welcome aboard,' you have the job if you want it Hazuki-san."

Yui's eyes widened. "Do I? Oh thank you so much Manabe-san! When do I start?"

"Tomorrow, at 7 am, please try not to be late." Manabe winked and walked back to her office calling over her shoulder. "Oh, Netto-kun, come by my office later please."

Netto barely heard her because he was too busy cheering on Yui. "Yay! You did it Yui-nee-san!" he yelled.

Yui laughed and picked the smaller boy up and hugging him. "Yes, thanks so much for helping me Netto-kun!"

Netto blushed and looked embarrassed. "It was no big deal," he smiled.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Netto had never had a more uncomfortable night's sleep in his life. He knew his constant mental activity kept Rockman awake too, but there really wasn't anything either one could do about it. Finally at about 3:37 A.M. Rockman gave up and called out, "Netto-kun, why don't you just try and do your homework or something?"

Netto sat up, mildly irritated. "Yeah, I'll go do that," he said sarcastically.

Rockman shrugged, "It was just a suggestion, you know."

Netto sighed and fell back on his bed with a muffle thump, "Yeah, I know," he said. "Kinda scary I never fell asleep, huh?" he asked.

"Not for lack of trying," Rockman giggled.

Netto smiled, "Hey Rockman, I'm sorry I kept you up all night," he said looking at the computer.

Rockman shook his head, "Nah, I'm more worried about you, I can just use a recover chip, you can't."

It was Netto's turn to shrug, "Well, I think I'll be fine. So, aside from your feeble attempts to get me to do my homework, what do you want to do?"

Rockman giggled, "Well, we can try to sleep again," he joked.

Netto made a face, "Nah, I'm awake. Think playing a video game would be too loud?" he asked.

"Well, if you kept the sound really low, or muted it, I don't think we'll wake up mama," Rockman said.

Netto sighed and went over to his computer, plopping himself in his swivel chair. He brought up his favorite racing game and watched at it loaded. "Glad mama wasn't home when we got back," Netto said.

Rockman nodded and pulled up the racing game in his own PET so he could race Netto, "Think she'll find out today?" he asked.

Netto looked uncomfortable, "I don't know, I hope not."

The racing game started and Netto and Rockman raced their virtual cars. Rockman shot ahead easily, "Careful Netto-kun, you're loosing," he joked.

Netto laughed, "Not for long."

At about seven, Netto and Rockman received a call from Enzan on their PET. Netto shut off the game and picked up the loud device. "Hello?" he asked.

Enzan was rightfully surprised, "What are you doing up this early?"

Netto made a face, "I couldn't sleep."

Enzan gave him a weak smile, "I can understand that."

Netto shrugged, "Well, I can't do anything about it, so why did you call anyway?" he asked.

Enzan cleared his throat, "Well, I think we should decide on a course of action, and I also thought you'd like to get out of here, so I was wondering if you'd like to search for Dr. Cunningham," he said.

Netto blinked, "Why him, aren't we after the virus?"

Enzan nodded, "Yes, but if we find the programmer then we might find some way to get the virus. Besides he'll be easier to track down."

Netto nodded, "Makes sense, but I don't know. Don't we need adult supervision?" he asked.

Enzan nodded, "I was hoping Manabe-san could come with is, that way it's also technically a mission."

Rockman appeared in his PET, "Well it can't hurt," he said.

"So, we'll meet at the Net Saviors HQ in about an hour?" Enzan asked.

Netto nodded his agreement, "All right see you then."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Netto wasn't quite ready to swallow his pride yet and once again he bound himself. He left before his mom woke up to avoid the drama that would ensue from finding him, she'd find out soon enough anyway. He slipped as quietly as he could out of his house and started to skate towards his destination.

"Hey Netto-kun, are you angry at all?" Rockman asked suddenly.

Netto stopped, "No! What gave you that idea?" he asked.

"Well, it's my fault that you're infected with the virus, you seemed kind of…" Rockman searched for the right word, "upset."

Netto snorted, "Yeah, well who wouldn't be? When I agreed to the link thing I did not expect to become a girl, however I'm not mad at you. Right now, I mad at Dr. Cunningham, but not you."

Rockman laughed and Netto started to skate again. "Well, that's a relief," he said.

Netto smiled, "Hey, it's not like I could keep something like 'I'm mad at you' a secret from you anyway. You just read my thoughts, right?"

"I would never do such a thing!" Rockman said indignantly.

"Right," said Netto.

"I wouldn't!" Rockman said, trying to defend himself.

Netto laughed, "Calm down, I was just joking."

Rockman rolled his eyes even though Netto couldn't see him and didn't reply.

Netto rolled into the head quarters long before anyone else, and the few people that were there were very surprised to see the normally late boy come in so early. When Netto walked into the specified conference room Laika whistled, "Wow, you really couldn't sleep could you?" he asked.

Netto crossed his arms over his chest almost wincing, "And just what is that supposed to mean?" he growled.

"It means you normally can't be on time to save you life," Laika said back.

/Netto-kun, drop it and sit down/ said Rockman calmly.

To Laika's surprise, Netto broke his eye contact and sat in a seat two down from Laika. Enzan came in little more then a minute later and sat across from them. "Well, we know why we're here, so let's start."

"You're very formal today, Enzan," Netto laughed.

Enzan rolled his eyes, "Do you want to try and do something or not, Netto-chan," he narrowed his eyes.

"Hey! That was mean!" Netto said.

Rockman giggled, "Hey, he has a point," he said.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Netto muttered.

"Okay, so if we say that we're on a mission to find out who created this virus we may find out who made it, why and how to find and/or stop it. So, anyone object?" Enzan asked.

"Not objection but a point, Enzan we're kids. We need an adult to get out of the country on a mission," Netto said.

Enzan nodded, "I know, I already called Manabe. She should be here in a matter of minutes."

Just then Manabe came into the room, with a blushing Yui behind her. "Sorry, I decided my secretary should be in on this. I just had a hard time getting her out of bed," Manabe laughed.

Yui blushed, "I'm very sorry," she said.

"Hush dear, its okay. Now Enzan-kun, what did you want to talk to me about?" Manabe asked.

Netto glanced uneasily at Yui; Enzan did too but cleared his throat and gave her his speech on how they could stop the virus by finding the programmer.

Manabe nodded, "Yes, very clever. Actually I think it's a wonderful idea."

"So you'll supervise us?" Enzan asked.

Manabe nodded, "Of course! Do you mind if I take Yui along, boys?" she asked.

Netto shifted in his seat/Rockman/

/I don't mind if she knows Netto-kun, you're closer to her then I am./

Netto looked at Manabe and nodded.

Manabe clapped her hands together and said "Excellent! I shall get started on preparations immediately, get ready to fly out tonight. Oh and Yui, I have something to talk to you about. Netto-kun, Saito-kun, am I allowed to handle this on my own?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Netto and Rockman said together.

Yui gave them a puzzled look as she was steered out of the room by Manabe.

Rockman sighed, "I really wish she wouldn't call me Saito."

"Why not?" asked Blues.

"Because, I'm afraid someone will put two and two together and find out," Rockman said.

Netto rolled his eyes, "No, you just hate it when people find out your name and go, 'Netto and Saito! That's such a cute pun!'"

Rockman smiled, "Okay, that too. I'm so glad I didn't have to grow up with that."

Netto nodded vigorously, "Yeah, you and me both."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I guess people like this fic? Seriously, though I love writing this, albeit it can be very... awkward. So, your thoughts or any sugesstions?

My polite way of saying, REVIEW! Pweese


	4. To Jawaii!

Yui came back out of the office looking a little shaken up. Netto, Enzan and Laika were playing cards and didn't see her exit the room. "Rumme!" Enzan said and picked up the stack of cards.

"Awww man!" said Netto, "I saw that one too."

"Have to be faster then that, Netto-kun," said Rockman.

"Obviously," said Laika.

"Ummm…" said a small voice behind them. They all looked up to see a blushing Yui.

Netto blushed himself and stood up, "Well, I guess Manabe-san told you everything. Did you get confused at all?"

Yui shook her head, "No, I was just," she searched for the right words, "very surprised."

Netto shrugged, adopting his usual careless air, "I can understand that."

Manabe came out of the room that she and Yui was in and walked up to the little group. "Okay kids, this is it. Ready for a search mission?"

"Yeup!" said Netto brightly.

Laika and Enzan both nodded solemnly.

"Okay, we're first going to Jawaii. Any objections?" Manabe asked.

All three boys shook their heads.

"Okay, Jawaii it is. I have a hot tip that Dr. Cunningham may be there in one of the secluded caves on the south side of the island. However if we want to catch him we'll have to act cautiously, he's a smart man and has avoided almost all human contact for the last two years," Manabe explained.

"So… undercover?" asked Laika.

Manabe paused and thought about it, "Well, in a sense. More or less we'll be posing as tourists while we gather information on where exactly he might be on the island. We can't just start searching the sea caves because you can bet that man has some kind of detecting equipment."

Enzan nodded, "Makes sense, so we go around the island searching for definite coordinates. Anything we should avoid?" he asked.

"People finding out you are Net Saviors, which will be hard because I heard that you three, especially Netto-kun, have built up quite a reputation on Jawaii," said Manabe looking pointedly at Netto.

Netto looked a little nervous/Okay, I'm not going to ask what se means by that for fear of my sanity/ he said to Rockman.

/Well, I think I have a good idea…/ started Rockman, but Netto cut him off.

/That I don't want to hear. I'll deal with it when we get to Jawaii/ he said a little crossly.

/Delaying the inevitable/ asked Rockman.

/You could say that/ Netto replied without any humor.

Yui was hopelessly lost in this conversation. Manabe and the boys were so… scary in a way. She had never heard children talk like that and she found it vaguely disturbing.

"They're kinda creepy when they talk like that huh?" asked Netto in a whisper.

Yui looked down at Netto a little surprised. She hadn't even seen him come over, "Ah, yes," she said falteringly.

"It's okay. Enzan and Laika are really nice, they just sometimes don't know when to act like normal people," said Netto.

"That's not nice, Netto-kun," said Rockman quietly.

"But it's true," said Netto in a matter-of-fact tone.

Yui giggled silently as the other three continued to plan out their mission on Jawaii. "Are they always so severe looking? Enzan-san looks like my old boss in a way."

Netto laughed too, "Most of the time, but sometimes you can get them to let their guards down which is always hard but always worth it. I have some really good blackmail pictures of them both."

"Netto-kun!" said Rockman in a reprimanding tone.

"What?" said Netto looking completely innocent.

Yui giggled again, "I'm glad I'm coming on this. I think it will be very interesting," she said.

"Did you two get all that?" asked Enzan.

Netto and Yui snapped their attention to the other three looking like school kids who just got caught napping.

"Get what?" asked Netto sheepishly.

Enzan rolled his eyes; sometimes it was a mystery as to how Netto got to be one of the best Net Operators in the world.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They were flying en-route to Jawaii on one of Enzan's private jets. Netto sunk into the over stuffed seats and tried desperately not to complain on boredom. Mostly because he knew if he did that Rockman would start harping on him about how he was acting like such a little kid.

/Bored Netto-kun/ asked Rockman.

/No/ said Netto in a sarcastic tone.

Rockman sighed/Netto-kun, sometimes I wonder if you're still five./

/Hey, we've been up here for two hours and we still have two more hours. I'm allowed to be bored/ he said.

/And soon you're going to start complaining about it too, right/ asked Rockman.

/No/ Netto muttered even though they both knew the chances of that happening were slim.

Yui saw the cross look on Netto's face as he argued with his navi. She didn't know he was arguing with anyone and thought he was in a bad mood because of what happened, so she went over to try and cheer him up. "Hey," she said.

Netto looked up and saw Yui standing over him. "Hi," he said.

Yui motioned towards the seat next to Netto, "Is this seat taken?" she asked.

Netto shook his head and Yui sat in the seat. Almost immediately she sunk into the material and lost her balance falling against Netto. Netto laughed and pushed her upright where she sat looking a little sheepish. "These seats are, big," she said.

Netto nodded, "And uncomfortable," he added.

"Netto-kun, that's rude. You're in a plane that's not yours and being given a free ride to Jawaii," Rockman said.

Netto rolled his eyes and Yui smiled. "You and your navi are very close," she said.

Netto blinked, "Well, of course, Manabe did tell you about the link right?"

Yui nodded, "Of course she did. But you two are very close as friends too. Trust me, I know a lot of brothers and they aren't like you two."

Netto turned a little pink and Rockman smiled. "I would hope so. I didn't tell Netto-kun who I was until he was 13 for a reason. I liked having a friend more then the awkwardness I thought we would have if he knew."

"Hey I am here you know," said Netto.

Rockman laughed, "Unfortunately."

"Hey!" said Netto. "That's not nice either."

"But you're my little brother, I can tease you any time I want," said Rockman slyly.

Netto crossed his arms and huffed into his seat. "Meanie," he said.

Yui laughed again, "You two act a lot like brother too," she observed.

"Again, I hope so," said Netto sitting back up in his seat.

"So what do you want to do when we get to Jawaii?" asked Yui.

Netto blinked, "I want to find Dr. Cunningham and not be a girl," he said.

Rockman snickered, "I don't think that's what she meant."

Yui shook her head, "No that's okay."

"What do you want to do when we get to Jawaii?" asked Rockman.

"I want to relax on the beach," she said with sparkles in her eyes.

"That's boring," said Netto.

Yui smiled, "Not when you're an adult and haven't had a proper vacation in over a year."

Netto's eyes widened, "You haven't had a vacation for a year?" he gasped.

Yui shook her head, "Nope, I was trying to get a decent job in the recession. But intern jobs only pay so much so I had to work all the time to stay in school and live on my own."

Netto frowned, "That doesn't sound like a lot of fun."

"I'll say," said Yui. "I wasn't, but I did end up getting a good job. Now I just hope I can keep it," she said.

/I can't believe Yui-nee-san hasn't had a vacation in a year/ said Netto.

/Well, maybe that's why she's excited we're going to Jawaii/ said Rockman.

Netto looked like he was deep in thought. "Netto-kun?" Yui asked.

"I know!" he said brightly. "When we get to Jawaii, Rockman and I will have a vacation with you."

Yui laughed and hugged Netto-kun, "That's so sweet!" she said.

/Can't breathe…/ he thought.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The plane landed two hours later in a private air field on the southern half of Jawaii. Netto looked around in interest to see if anything had changed since their last visit. Not much really had even when the hurricane hit the small island only three weeks before. "Not much had really happened since we were here last, huh?" asked Rockman.

Netto shook his head, "Nope. Kind of weird though, I heard a really big hurricane came through here a few weeks ago."

Enzan nodded, "You're right. But Jawaii is used to such things, so that means when a hurricane comes the people on the island know how to rebuild it fast. Staying down too long will cause a lapse in their tourism commerce, which is how they normally get their money."

"Really?" asked Netto, slightly interested.

Enzan nodded, "Yeah, so when there is a hurricane you can normally make a safe bet that the island will be okay in about a week."

"Is there any chance Dr. Cunningham got caught in it?" asked Laika.

Enzan frowned, "Well, that's hard to say. If he was here at the time the hurricane hit then yes, he did. But there is every chance that he came right after the hurricane."

"Why would he do that?" Netto asked.

"Well, coming into an area right after a huge disaster makes for a good cover," said Manabe behind them as they walked down the sunny street towards their hotel. "However it also brings attention at the same time. That's how I got the hint," she said.

"Oh!" said Netto knowingly. "Okay, that makes sense."

They walked up to a very luxurious looking resort called the "Sundance Hotel." Netto whistled as they walked into the impressive building.

"Oh my," said Yui, slightly intimidated.

"Heh, kinda big," said Rockman.

"That's an understatement," Netto muttered back.

Yui nodded mutely.

"So, how long are we staying here?" asked Netto.

"As long as it takes," said Manabe. "Why, sick of it already, Netto-kun?" she teased.

Netto sniffed, "Not likely. I just want to find Dr. Cunningham."

"We can't search for him directly, we need to get clues, remember what I said before?" asked Manabe.

"Yeah yeah," said Netto.

"Undercover, right?" Enzan asked.

"Preferably," said Manabe. "We can't risk Dr. Cunningham learning that the Net Saviors are looking for him or he'll just hide even deeper."

"Not good," said Netto.

"Exactly," said Manabe. "So be careful about who you tell your real name to, okay?" she asked.

Everyone nodded and she looked pleased. "Okay good, I'll check us into our rooms and then you can do as you please for the remainder of the day."

"Yay!" cheered Netto.

"Okay, Yui and I will share a room and you three will share another room that's next to ours. Any objections?" Manabe asked holding up the keys.

Everyone shook their heads and Manabe nodded handing Enzan the key. "Okay, see you tomorrow. I'm taking a nap."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The rest of the day was uneventful as everyone was tired from the long plane ride. So not long after everyone checked in they all decided to go to bed. Netto had a better night's sleep that time around mainly because he was so tired from the trip. Rockman however was grateful, regardless of the reason. Hanging out with a crabby Netto was not one of his favorite things to do.

"Mnnn… curry…" Netto babbled in his sleep and Rockman let himself have a quiet laugh. Always curry.

"Netto, shut up," said Enzan crabbily, throwing a pillow at Netto.

Netto didn't even stir as the feathered missile came on top of him.

"Enzan-san, he won't wake up from that," said Rockman quietly.

Enzan sighed. "I don't care. Netto is really annoying at night, can't you do anything about it?" he asked in a whisper to Rockman.

Rockman shrugged, "Sorry, I don't have any control over Netto when he sleeps. I can only yell at him when he's conscious."

"To bad," said Enzan only half jokingly.

"I can wake him up, but I don't think that would solve anything," said Rockman.

Enzan shook his head, "No, it wouldn't. But still, he's annoying."

Rockman laughed quietly, "Don't worry, he not normally this bad. He's just kind of restless."

Enzan rolled his eyes and fell back into his bed. "Good night, Rockman."

"Night, Enzan-san."

The next morning, Netto woke up farm more refreshed then he had the previous day. He was still a little tired but it was a far cry from staying up all night. "Morning Netto-kun," his navi greeted from the monitor.

Netto was still half asleep and didn't respond right away, when his did he just muttered, "morning," back and went into the bathroom.

"Not much on a morning person, is he?" Searchman asked from Rockman's left.

"Wha?" Rockman jumped and turned around to face his friend. "Oh no, Netto-kun has never been much of a morning person."

"I think we knew that already, Rockman," said Blues from Rockman's right.

Rockman jumped again and whirled around quickly to face Blues. "Good Morning to you too, Blues."

"You're jumpy today, aren't you?" Blues observed.

Rockman laughed nervously, "Yeah, I don't know why though. I just have a bad feeling."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I have to WHAT?" Netto yelled.

Searchman whistled, "Nice call Rockman."

They had gone downstairs for breakfast and their new assignment was handed to them. Needless to say, it wasn't a happy moment for Netto.

Manabe raised her hands in a pacifist gesture, "Calm down Netto-kun. I'm sorry, but there really is no ifs ands or buts about it. Point being, you all are known on this island. It's just easier if you pose as a girl, that's all."

Netto turned a bright red, "No, no no! Absolutely not!" he said.

Enzan sighed, "Netto, chill out. Didn't we come here to reverse what happened? How can we do that if you're not willing to make a few sacrifices?"

"Uh oh…" Rockman muttered.

Blues sweatdropped, "Enzan-sama…"

Before Netto could unleash his fury on Enzan, Yui came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Its okay, Netto-kun. If you don't want to go out, I'll stay here with you."

Netto blinked, "Yui-nee-chan."

"I don't mind," she said.

Netto sighed, "No, that's not fair. Rockman and I promised you that you would have fun. I don't break my promises."

Rockman nodded, and Yui smiled. "You're really sweet Netto-kun!"

Netto blushed and rubbed the back of his head while everyone else sweatdropped.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Netto, Enzan, Laika and Yui all walked down the street in loose summer shirts and shorts. Netto, finally breaking down, was posing as the younger sister of Yui. Laika and Enzan were Netto's friends and they had come for their summer vacation. Or at least that's what their story was.

Netto was blushing as they walked and Rockman was silently trying to console him. Yui on the other hand was running from store to store in hyper bliss. "Oh, this is so exciting!" she said. "Like a movie!"

Enzan sighed, "Okay, she's the one who's supposed to be watching us."

Laika watched her as she flew from store to store looking slightly nauseous after a few minutes. "She's almost as hyper as Netto."

"I heard that," Netto muttered.

"Okay Netto-kun, you need to cheer up," chided Rockman. "You don't play the part of a school kid in vacation very well."

"I got air sick on the way over and I'm not feeling very well," Netto replied.

Rockman face faulted in his PET, "That's not what I mean."

"Shouldn't we be actually searching for information?" Enzan asked.

"Sure, where do we start?" asked Laika.

"No idea," Enzan admitted. "Netto, you've been here the most out of us, where should we go?"

Netto looked at him, his arms crossed over his chest. "You've been here more then me, what are you talking about?"

"I don't actually go anywhere, I'm normally in a meeting," he said.

Netto shrugged, "Well, the beach is normally the place where most people go…" Netto admitted.

Yui came up behind them in a flash, "The beach! Oh, I haven't been to a beach in years!" she said.

Netto realized his mistake, "Oh, hell no!" he said.

"You said it yourself," said Enzan with a touch of laughter.

"The beach is where most people go on Jawaii," Laika finished.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

I am so very evil to my characters, anyway. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And review, pretty please?


	5. The Beach

Yui dragged Netto along the busy streets of Jawaii. There was little mechanical traffic but the place was full to bursting with tourists, businessmen and pedestrians. Neither Yui nor Netto had bathing suits and she offered to take Netto out to buy one, an offer he couldn't refuse, literally. Manabe had ordered it.

They made plans to meet at the beach in forty-five minutes to search for anything to help them track Dr. Cunningham, in the meantime…

Yui ran up holding a sky blue one piece to her frame, "Well, do you like it?" she asked excitedly.

Netto blushed and looked away, "I-it's nice," he managed to say.

Yui was oblivious to his discomfort and ran off to find another bathing suit.

/You okay/ Rockman asked.

/No/ Netto said flatly. /Who wouldn't/

/Touchy at all/ Rockman replied.

Netto crossed his arms and sulked, forgetting that the conversation was mental. /Who wouldn't be/ he said again.

/Touché/ Rockman said. /But why don't you try to have fun. For Yui-nee-san's sake./

Netto rolled his eyes, thankfully no one was around to see/I'm trying./

/I know/ Rockman said, trying to soothe his twin's growing agitation.

Yui came out of the dressing room in a pretty red, one piece bathing suit and sheer red flower print beach skirt she tied around her waist. A straw hat and cute sunglasses completed the ensemble. "Ta-daa!" she announced. "How do I look?"

Netto and Rockman both turned equal shades of red, "V-very nice, Yui-nee-san," Netto said.

"Y-yes," agreed Rockman.

Tyui giggled, "Okay, no we will find you one."

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll wait at the hotel," Netto muttered.

"Ha ha, cute joke. Now come on," she said and grabbed Netto's wrist, pulling him into the bathing suit section of the store.

"Ha ha, joke, right," Netto said sarcastically.

/Netto-kun, be nice! She's trying./ reprimanded Rockman.

/I'm shopping for bathing suits/ Netto hissed.

/May I point you to the Aki-chan contest/ Rockman said slyly.

/First thing I'll do when we're done shopping is get you a dress up chip if you say anything else/ Netto said. /See if I don't./

/I believe you/ Rockman laughed nervously.

"Come on, Netto-kun, this is supposed to be fun!" Yui said happily.

"Yeah," Netto replied none too happily.

In the end Netto got an orange one piece and a large white beach coat to go over it. If he had to wear it, he could at least cover it up.

Yui checked her watch, "Oh my goodness, we're already ten minutes late, come on we need to get ready," she said quickly pulling a bewildered Netto out of the store.

They went back to the hotel and changed. Netto rather grudgingly put on a hat and sunglasses that Yui had bought for him and they set off for the beach.

They walked along the packed beach looking for their group. Instead they ran into a small girl and what presumably was her younger brother looking around desperately and on the verge of tears.

"Are you okay?" Netto asked them.

The children looked at him and started to cry. Netto felt terrible and tried to calm them down.

/Netto, you're probably scaring them with your appearance/ Rockman said.

Yui was at a loss of what to do and the kids continued to cry. They attracted a few stares and Netto laughed nervously. He took of his hat and glasses and knelt down to comfort the children. "It's okay, I won't do anything," he said.

They looked at him and stopped crying, probably because they didn't know what else to do. The girl stepped forward, "We're lost," she said.

"Oh, that's terrible," Yui said.

"So you know where your mother or father is?" asked Rockman.

The children looked at Netto's PET in his hand and gasped with delight. "A navi!" the girl cried out.

Netto nodded, "Yes, she is my navi," he said. 'Man, it feels weird to call him she,' he thought to himself.

"Was she caught by the virus?" the girl asked excitedly.

"Yes, I was. Now, where are your parents?" Rockman asked again.

"We wandered to far into the surf, we can't see our beach blanket," the girl said and the boy nodded in agreement.

"What color is your blanket?" Yui asked.

"Green," they boy said in a quiet voice.

"Well, then let's go look for it!" Yui said.

/Laika and Enzan are gonna kill us/ Netto said.

/Do we care/ asked Rockman.

/Not really/ said Netto.

/Exactly/ came the reply.

/You're awfully lax today, Rockman/ Netto said while the small boy took his hand and he and Yui led them down the beach.

/I figure we should delay meeting with them for now. Or is my guessing of your thoughts wrong/ asked Rockman.

/So I don't want them to see me, can you blame me/ asked Netto.

/No, that's why I'm not yelling at you about taking this whole side trip/ Rockman said.

"There!" the girl's voice cut into their thoughts. She pointed to an electric green beach blanket roughly the size of a large kiddie swimming pool.

"That's… green," Netto said slowly.

"Green," Yui said softly, almost mesmerized by the brightness of the blanket.

"Mommy!" they boy cried out and ran over to a woman on the blanket. They girl followed and they jumped on their mother.

"Janet, Kyle, where have you been?" Your dad has been searching for you for hours!" she said.

"We got lost," Janet said. "They helped us back!" she pointed to Netto and Yui.

The mom stood up and nodded at them. "Thank you," she said.

"No problem," Netto said.

"Bye nee-chans!" Janet waved.

"Nee-chan?" Netto asked.

"Go with it," Rockman murmured.

"Bye!" Yui called as they walked away.

"That is green," Netto said.

Yui nodded, slightly dazed. "Makes you wonder how they got lost in the first place?"

Rockman laughed, "Who knows? I bet Netto could get lost."

"Har har," said Netto.

"Hey!" they heard a voice behind them and they turned around to see Enzan and Laika running towards the,. "You late," Enzan said once they caught up./

Netto shrugged, "Oh well."

"Come on, we need to go see what we can find out," Laika said.

Netto shook his head and unconsciously drew his beach coat tightly around his body. "Can't I just watch the blanket?" he asked.

"You're being very childish about this," Enzan said pointedly.

"Do I care?" Netto asked.

"Do you want to be a girl?" Laika asked.

Rockman smiled, "He has a point, Netto-kun."

Netto grumbled and grudgingly followed his friends. Yui nodded and walked off in a separate direction. "Think she'll be okay?" Enzan asked.

"I don't think you have to worry," said Searchman. "She probably saw Manabe-san, the blanket isn't too far."

"Aren't you hot?" Laika asked Netto, eyeing the beach coat.

"No," Netto said.

"Yeah right," Rockman said only loud enough for Blues and Searchman to hear.

"Netto, you can attempt to be a little willing for this," said Enzan.

"I'm trying," he hissed.

"Just be a little more cooperative," Laika said.

Netto sighed, "If we go to the blanket, I'll take off the coat, okay?"

"So what is our plan?" Blues asked.

"We will see if we can hear any rumors. Talk to vendors and people in tourist shops to see if they know anything," Laika said.

"Very good, so why did we come to the beach again?" asked Netto.

"Because it's easier to talk to the people whose shops are right on the beach front. Chances are if Dr. Cunningham showed himself, there will be rumors floating around somewhere," Laika said.

Netto laughed, "Yes, because you two are so social."

"Ignoring that, let's start with the beach front," said Enzan.

"With a detour by the beach blanket," said Netto.

"Hot?" asked Enzan.

"Shut up," Netto muttered.

They walked by the large white blanket where Yui and Manabe were laughing and talking. Manabe gave Netto a small wink as he walked up to the blanket. "Warm Netto-kun?" she asked.

Netto blushed and nodded.

"Are you three going around to find information now?" Manabe asked.

Laika nodded, "We're going to start on the beach front and see if any of the local shop keepers know anything."

Manabe nodded, "Good, good. Okay, you three be back here in two hours though. I want to make sure you're all okay."

"We'll be fine," Enzan said.

"I know, I'm just making sure," Manabe smiled.

/Netto-kun, take off the beach coat and let's go/ Rockman mentally yelled at Netto.

/I'm going to! Just give me a minute/ Netto replied.

/Are you really that embarrassed/ Rockman asked.

/No/ Netto said slowly. /Just a little, apprehensive/ he said choosing his words carefully.

Rockman saw through the ruse and snorted/Right./

"Netto, are you ready?" Laika asked.

Netto jumped and looked at his green haired friend, "Y-yeah. One second," he smiled and hesitantly shrugged off the beach coat.

Laika and Enzan couldn't help it, they stared. They didn't even realize they were starting until Netto cleared his throat in a loud manner and walked towards the beach front. "We'll be going now," he said in an annoyed voice.

Laika and Enzan snapped back to reality and blushed for all they were worth. "R-right," Enzan said.

Laika didn't say anything and followed Netto to the closest shop.

Yui laughed, "That was almost cute," she said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The threesome walked into a nice cozy tourist shop filled with pens, shells, towels and other beach paraphernalia. The owner was a kindly, heavy set looking woman who sat on a stool behind the cash register. "How may I help you?" she asked.

"We're looking for someone," Enzan said.

"Oh? Well you've come to the right place, I know anyone and anything that happens to be on this island," she boasted.

Enzan nodded, "I'm sure. Have you heard any rumors about a scientist hiding out in the caves here?" he asked.

The woman stroked her chin thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it I do. I heard of some crazy scientist who lives in the sea caves on the north end of the island. Jack told me about him, I said 'Jack, you're a crazy man. There ain't no one who is dumb enough to try and live in those conditions.' He says to me, 'Now Lilly, you know I'm not a fibber, there's a man up there, and he's strange too.'"

Enzan cleared his throat, "Yes, thank you. May you tell me where this Jack is?" he asked.

"Oh Jack? He owns the sea rock café down the street. Nice place too, it has great pancakes," she said wistfully.

"Thank you for your time," Enzan said and left the shop, closely followed by Netto and Laika.

"If you need something, make sure to come here!" she called out in a kind bon voyage tone.

"So, Jack then?" Laika asked.

"So it would seem," Enzan replied.

"Well, let's go," said Netto, making a bee line for the café.

"Wait up Netto!" Enzan called and ran after the fast departing friend.

Laika sighed and ran to catch up with both of them. Sometimes it was impossible for anyone to keep track of the other and if Netto ran any faster he was going to loose track of everyone.

Netto walked into the small café and looked around. There was a tall, sea weathered man with a kind face polishing glasses behind a counter. Netto's face lit up and he walked over to where the man was. "Hello?" he asked.

The man looked up from his work and smiled. "Why hello there young lady, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Young… oh yes! Ummm, well, we talked to the lady in the tourist shop down the street and she said you knew where a scientist was hiding in the caves on this island," Netto said.

The man stroked his chin thoughtfully just as Lilly had. "Yes, now he was an interesting character. I met him when I was looking for scallops to make my soup with. They always taste best fresh."

Laika and Enzan came into the café and stood behind Netto to get the information.

"Anyways, I found this old guy in the caves 30 feet above the ground. Interesting guy, said he was developing a new program and wanted to be left alone."

"Any idea where he is now?" Laika asked.

Jack nodded, "Yes, if you go to the north end of the island there is a small inlet. Above it are a bunch of cliffs and naturally made sea caves. Why do you know the man?" he asked.

"Kind of," Netto laughed.

"Well, I hope I helped you," he said.

"Your information was very valuable, thank you," Enzan said.

"Care for a drink?" he asked.

"Maybe later," said Netto and he hurried out of the café with Enzan and Laika in hot pursuit.

"Kids these days," the man said under his breath. "Always in a hurry."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Netto, wait up!" Enzan yelled and Netto stopped to let Laika and Enzan catch up.

"You heard him, let's go before he leaves," Netto said.

Enzan shook his head, "Not yet, Netto. We need to get ready to go into a cave area. Also we should go at night so he won't be able to detect us until we're close enough to him to actually catch him. Let's wait out the rest of the day here and leave in the evening."

"Enzan's right," Laika said. "Barging there in the broad daylight will only tell him we're here and on his tail."

"Fine," Netto muttered. "But I wanna go back to the hotel."

Laika shook his head, "We stay together, Netto. Besides, we need to check in with Manabe first."

"It's only fair Netto-kun," Rockman said.

Netto gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine, then can we go back to the hotel."

Enzan smiled, "Sure, then we'll go back to the hotel."

Netto gave him a grateful smile, "Thanks." Then he walked down the beach in search of Manabe and Yui.

Laika put his hand on Enzan's shoulder. "You're blushing," he said quietly.

Enzan put a hand to his cheeks and felt the warmth spreading across them. "I'm sun burnt," he said quickly and followed Netto's path.

Laika sighed, "Right," he said.

Netto ran into the open beach to see if he could spot his towel. While he searched an unknown person came up behind him. Netto didn't even notice until he put his hand on Netto's shoulder and asked, "Are you lost?"

Netto spun around and looked at a tall brawny youth who obviously lived and played some beach sport on Jawaii every day. Netto smiled nervously, "Kind of."

"Maybe I can help you then. I know this place like the back of my hand," he grinned at Netto.

"N-no thanks, I can find my own way around," Netto said quickly.

The boy looked a little put out. "Oh, okay, will I see you around then?"

"I don't think so," Netto smiled. "I'm leaving in a few days."

"Okay," he said and left Netto alone.

"That was a bit harsh Netto-kun," Rockman said.

"Rockman," Netto said.

"Yes, Netto-kun?"

"Shut up."

Rockman sighed, "All right. Oh Enzan just sent you an e-mail. He said look to your upper right."

Netto looked up and saw Enzan and Laika waving at him. He smiled, waved back and made his way towards the blanket. Maybe it would all be over sooner then he thought.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The threesome waited out the rest of the day in the hotel. Netto was wearing a comfortable loose shirt and shorts and Enzan and Laika had donned similar clothes. They sat around talking and reading for the rest of the afternoon and around five Manabe and Yui came into the hotel.

"Ready boys?" Manabe asked.

The three nodded and Manabe smiled. "Good, let me get into some better clothes and we'll start.

Yui followed and the two older women got dressed. In ten minutes the small group was outside and walking in the twilight.

"Now, be wary of traps, motion detecting equipment and anything suspicious. This man in paranoid and this might be one of the only chances we'll get for the time being. Are you ready?"

"Yes," they said.

"Good, we'll be there in about ten minutes. Good luck."

OOOOOOOOOO

Fear the fic y0. Hope you liked the latest chapter. Gotta love Netto in a swim suit. And Laika and Enzan :3


	6. If All Goes Well

Manabe motioned to the back of the cliffs. Netto and Enzan both followed her motions and went over to where the grassy edge dropped over the edge of the island. They walked down the craggy interface and looked for the cave that was supposed to be there.

"Have you boys found anything?" Manabe asked over a walkie talkie that the boys had carried down.

"Not yet," Enzan whispered.

"Okay, Laika and I are going on the other side, if we find anything we'll send you a silent message over your PET's," she said.

"All right," Enzan replied.

The walkie talkie went dead and Enzan motioned Netto over away from the edge of the winding path. "Get away from there, you're going to hurt yourself."

Netto stuck his tongue out at him and grudgingly followed the command. "Worried?" he jeered.

"No," Enzan said quickly. "I just want this mission to run without any complications."

Netto snorted and started to walk down the path and Enzan quickly increased his pace to catch up. "You should be quieter," he murmured. "That man could have traps or spy equipment anywhere."

Netto rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt that he has that kind of stuff out here. I mean this is a public trail is it not?" he asked.

"Netto," Enzan sighed. "You're not thinking like a Net Savior. This guy does not want to be caught, so play it safe."

"He's got a point, Netto-kun," Rockman said.

"I don't know what you guys are so worried aboAHHHH!" he yelled as he was caught in a net that was slung over a rock on the trail.

Enzan looked at his friend who was now cursing everything under the sun. "I told you," he said.

"Shut the hell up and get me down!" he yelled.

"Netto-kun, hush!" Rockman hissed.

"I will hush when I damn well feel like it," Netto said.

/Netto, do you want to ruin the only chance we might get at catching this guy/ Rockman said loudly in Netto's thoughts.

Netto quickly quieted down and sat quietly until Enzan cut the trigger rope and Netto came plummeting back to earth. In his credit he didn't yell and Enzan caught him safely before he hit the ground.

"Did Rockman yell at you?" he asked.

Netto looked at Enzan with wide eyes and nodded while blushing.

Enzan sighed, "Well, the cave is around here somewhere but something tells me we won't find him."

Netto looked down and blushed. "Sorry."

Enzan shook his head, "No it's okay, it's not your fault."

"Ummm, Enzan?" Netto asked.

"What?"

"Can you put me down?" Netto said.

Enzan looked and realized to his horror that he was still cradling Netto in the position he had caught him in. "O-of course," he said and set Netto on his feet. Both boys looked away blushing and were only brought back to reality when Rockman and Blues coughed simultaneously.

"Maybe we should try and at lease find some clues," Blues said.

"R-right," Enzan and Netto said quickly and searched the area for where the hidden cave presumably was.

"Where the hell is it?" Netto hissed.

"Well, it is a hidden cave," Enzan replied with a touch of humor.

He was greeted with a withering look from Netto and he suspected two from Rockman and Blues even though he couldn't see the navis.

Ten minutes later Enzan slipped his hand into a crevice that could easily fit an adult. He squeezed inside and looked around the room.

"Enzan?" Netto called out.

"In here," he called and soon Netto was in the cave as well.

"Wow, so this is where he was," Netto looked around the cave that was no bigger then his room. "It's small," he said.

"And it's been abandoned for two days. We didn't scare him off, he knew we were coming," Enzan said dryly.

"Two days?" Netto asked.

Enzan pointed at the computer screen that was glowing softly. Netto vaguely realized that was the reason they could see in the dark cave. On the screen it said in red letters, "Last Shut Down, June 6th."

"Okay, why leave the computer?" Netto asked.

"He was in a hurry?" Enzan guessed. "I honestly have no idea. But we need to call Manabe-san and get the equipment out of here first before we ask any questions."

"Good idea," Netto nodded. "Oh Enzan?"

"Yes?"

"I was never caught in that stupid net," he said.

"Right," Enzan said and called Manabe over the walkie talkie.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Two hours later the computer was safely in their hotel room along with a few other pieces of equipment to tell the weather.

"We didn't chase him off," Manabe said looking at the computer. "The weather did. The most recent readings on this software say that the air pressure dropped drastically right before it was turned off."

Yui walked in with a weather report. "There was a huge thunderstorm the day before we got here. It's on the weather website."

Netto silently cursed every weather god he knew, which wasn't many but he did it anyway.

"Well, it seems we ran into some pretty bad luck boys. So, where to next?" Manabe asked.

Laika was silently tapping on the computer and overlooking all of the e-mail's that had been sent to or written by the machine. "Well Laika?" Netto asked expectantly.

"I think I know where he is," his mouth twisted in a half smile, half grimace.

"Yes?" Rockman asked a tad impatiently, which was pretty good considered the circumstances.

"Sharro," Laika said.

"You've got to be kidding me," Netto groaned.

"I'm not sure how to take that," Laika said jokingly.

Netto's eyes widened as he realized what he just said. "Oh no! I don't mean it like that. I'm sorry Laika, I just don't want to fly halfway across the world in pursuit of this guy."

Laika nodded, "Entirely understandable Netto-kun. But according to his last e-mail he sent to a 'P. Harrison' he was coming up to Sharro to continue his research."

"Did it say what the research was on?" Manabe asked.

"Unfortunately not, he was very discreet even in the e-mails he sent to his friend."

"So, where to?" Enzan asked.

"Sharro apparently. Laika, it's a big country, can you tell us where in Sharro?" Manabe asked.

Laika nodded, "Yes, he is describing where his Lab is going to be and from what land marks he's using it's somewhere in the North Mountain Range."

"Cold?" Netto asked apprehensively.

:Laika nodded, "Very."

Netto's face was anything but happy as he heard this news but he didn't say anything.

/What do you have against the cold/ Rockman asked.

/I don't but you do/ he said.

/I don't get it/ Rockman said.

/Rockman, do you know what it's like to be really cold? Not Net cold but wind biting your face, bone chilling cold/

Rockman thought/No, when Densan froze over we didn't have the link yet. Why the concern though/

/Because, it's going to be a different experience. For both of us/ Netto said.

/I think I get what you're saying but hey, at least you don't have to wear a bathing suit/ Rockman joked.

Netto laughed out loud, startling everyone in the room except Rockman. /No, that's true./

Yui gave him a strange look and everyone else went back to the computer. Netto seemed fine with the idea at that point and no one was complaining.

"Next stop, Sharro," Laika said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sharro was not easy to get to from Jawaii. It was on the other side of the world, literally, and this made for a very long plane ride. Netto of course worried everyone after he started to get antsy but he didn't do anything but sit there looking grumpy. He was concerned about something and no one could figure out what, except Rockman that is.

/Netto-kun, you don't have to worry about me, seriously. I can handle cold, I've been frozen solid before, remember/ he attempted a weak joke.

/I know, but still I mean…/ Netto trailed off.

/You're not to fond of the cold either, I might recall/ Rockman said.

/Th-that's not true. I've been to Sharro and Densan isn't exactly tropical in the winter/ Netto retorted.

/True, Netto-kun, why are you so upset about going to Sharro/ Rockman asked.

Netto paused. /I…/ He winced and growled making everyone else in the plane stare at him. /I don't know/ he wailed to Rockman. /I have no idea, I just have a really, really bad feeling about it./

Rockman blinked/Woman's intuition…/ he said slowly.

/What/ Netto yelled, actually managing to keep his face straight.

/Nothing/ Rockman said quickly and dropped the subject. Maybe Netto was just being paranoid, although he certainly had never been paranoid before. Then again, given the circumstances, he figured Netto was allowed to act a little out of character, as long as he didn't get down right annoying about it.

Yui came over and sat next to Netto. "Are you all right, Netto-kun?" she asked.

Netto blinked and was brought out of his thought process by the sound of another voice. He looked up at Yui with a brief puzzled expression but then he gave her a wide grin that seemed to put everyone on the plane at ease. "Yeup! We're going to get that scientist in Sharro!" Netto said while comically pumping his fist into the air.

Yui sweatdropped and laughed. "Well, glad to see you're in better spirits today."

"Hm?" Netto asked.

"You didn't seem too happy when we left Jawaii," she pointed out. "You looked very," Yui paused, "Uncomfortable."

Netto smiled, "Nope! I'm perfectly fine. By the way, did you find anything else on that computer?" Netto asked Laika.

Laika shook his head. "Searchman is running it through an encryption program as we speak. I can't say what else might be on that computer that is of use to us. From what Searchman is telling me, the programs are built like mazes and some of them don't even lead to anything."

Netto blinked, "I never want to be as paranoid as that man," he said slowly.

Rockman laughed out loud. "That's good to know, because I don't think I could take it."

Netto stuck his tongue out at the monitor that Rockman was on. Rockman smiled back and was relieved that Netto seemed to be returning to his normal, happy-go-lucky self.

Yui giggled at the interaction between Netto and Rockman. "Well, Sharro may be cold but at least there aren't many places he can hide, not without putting his life in danger anyway."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Laika said dryly.

"Meaning?" Netto asked when he stopped talking.

"Meaning, if you know how to make a decent snow home and you know how to survive in the cold, he can be hiding anywhere," he said.

"B-but, Sharro's huge!" Netto said.

"Don't worry, the equipment should give off some kind of signal," Enzan said in an effort to calm Netto down again.

Laika nodded, "That's true. But that can't be what we rely on."

"What do we rely on?" Rockman asked.

Laika sighed, "Well, luck and Searchman's ability to pinpoint radio waves, which I hope he uses."

"Luck?" Enzan asked incredulously.

"It won't be easy," Laika said. "Sharro isn't exactly one of the nicest countries in the world, environment wise."

"No, really?" Netto asked in a sarcastic drawl. This earned him glares on all sides, not that he cared.

"Laika-san, I think I found something," Searchman said from Laika's PET.

Laika brought the PET up to his face and opened the screen so that everyone could see him. "Yes?" Laika asked.

Searchman cleared his throat, "I found a document that might have been written before Dr. Cunningham wrote the TG program. It was preliminary analysis of what he would put in it."

"And?" Netto asked impatiently.

/Netto-kun, shhh/ Rockman said.

Netto wished he could mentally stick his tongue out at Rockman.

Searchman sighed and cleared his throat uncomfortably, a very un-Searchman thing to do.

/Oh, that can't be good/ Netto said. He could almost sense the impending doom.

Rockman on his part could also sense it and he shifted nervously in the monitor but didn't reply to his twin.

"Well, it seems that the virus might have been designed to be…" Searchman paused uncomfortably, "Permanent."

"You're kidding, right?" Netto asked.

Searchman shook his head. "Not that it matters since it mutated into a virus," he added quickly.

Netto, Blues and Rockman all let out quiet sighs of relief.

"But," Searchman said.

"Always an exception," Netto growled.

Yui smiled and patted Netto on the shoulder.

"If the certain part of the program did exist, the longer we're like this the harder it is to turn back," Searchman finished.

Netto sighed, "Of course."

Rockman didn't bother to hide his disappointment either although Blues' expression never changed.

"So, that's it then?" Enzan said.

"What do you mean, that's it?" Netto asked.

"No, I mean is that all he has on his computer. Look, that man never threw anything away, you can tell because he had a document from five years ago on there about a brainstorm for a program. Not many people keep that stuff lying around."

Laika nodded, "Enzan is right. I'm sure there is something else, but you can have a break if you want, Searchman."

"No thank you, Laika-san," Searchman said and disappeared.

"I don't think I want to know what else in on that computer," Netto growled.

Manabe gave him a weak smile, "Don't worry Netto-kun; at least the program did change. And this will be all over soon; we'll start searching as soon as we get to Sharro."

Netto made a face but didn't reply. Rockman didn't even need to talk to Netto to know what his thoughts were.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

They arrived in Sharro rather late and everyone was tired and cramped from the long plane ride. Netto yawned and stretched as he got off the plane and looked around. It wasn't much different from the last time he came. There was snow, and some more snow, and some buildings that could have very well been snow if you didn't see the lights coming through the windows. He looked at the ground and bent down to pick up a handful of the freezing matter.

/What are you doing Netto-kun/ Rockman asked.

Netto didn't answer but started to inspect it. He found to his delight that the snow was in perfect packing shape.

/Netto-kun/ Rockman said in a warning tone.

Netto ignored him and saw that Enzan was coming off the plane trying unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn. He grinned and looked at the small snow ball nestled in his hands, then he looked back at Enzan.

Enzan heard a, "Netto-kun don't!" right before half his head was encased in a slushy tomb. Then he heard Netto laughing and then he looked at his PET. "Blues, what just happened?"

"I think Netto-san threw a snowball at you, Enzan-sama."

Enzan sighed, "Glad to know nothing can keep him down for too long," he said and went down the rest of the terminal stairs. Then he scooped up his own snow and threw it at Netto. It missed but a second, more carefully aimed snowball caught Netto in the face.

Netto growled and threw another one at Enzan, who dodged with ridiculous ease and let the snowball continue on its merry path until it ran into Laika. Laika stood there looking at the snowball that was now decorating his winter jacket, then he looked up at Netto. Netto laughed and managed to dodge another snowball thrown his way by Enzan.

Laika looked at the snow and blinked. "Searchman?" he asked.

"Yes, Laika-san?"

"Should I?" he asked in an almost puzzled tone.

"I don't see why not, Laika-san."

Laika, for once in his life gave a small smile and picked up a handful of snow. He used to be one of the best snowball players in his home town before he became a solider. Old habits do die hard, as the saying went.

He threw it with pin point accuracy at Netto and it caught him on the arm making him yelp and drop the snowball he was currently aiming at Enzan.

Netto glared at him and picked up another snowball. He'd be darned if he let Laika beat him. Netto threw the snowball and Laika dodged it with ease. Then another one came up and hit him on the side of the head. He looked to see Enzan with a grin on his face that he had never seen before. It was almost creepy in a way.

Netto howled with laughter until two snowballs came his way and actually managed to knock him over.

Yui looked out of the airplane window. "Manabe-san?" she asked.

"There's a small blizzard outside, I guess we'll have to stay in for the time being," Manabe said while making a conscious effort not to laugh.

Yui wasn't so good at holding it in. She laughed and nodded, "Yes, Manabe-san."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Okies, next chapter is done! Sorry it took so long, finals got in the way :3


	7. Snow Storm

After the snowball fight was over Netto, Enzan and Laika all headed into the warmth of the hotel that they were staying at. Manabe and Yui decided it was safe to come out of the plane now that there was no danger of being hit in the head with a barrage of snow.

As soon as they got inside the first thing Netto did was take off his now snow encrusted coat and plop on the couch. "Tired?" Enzan asked.

"No," Netto said, "Just in need of rest."

"Oh, I see," Enzan said mockingly as he hung up his and Netto's coats as Netto had carelessly discarded his on the floor.

"Well, we won't have long to rest," Laika said.

Netto propped his chin in his hand and looked at Laika. "Why not?" he asked.

"The weather service is calling for a snow storm by tomorrow afternoon so if we want to do any searching, we do it tonight," Laika said. "Sharro snow storms are no joke."

Manabe and Yui came in the room in time to hear the last statement. Manabe nodded, "That is very true. This time though, Yui and I will stay in here with monitoring equipment and we'll tell you if you're in any danger. It would be a hindrance to have five people and it's dangerous to go out there without someone guiding you."

Laika nodded seriously, "I was just about to suggest the same thing, Manabe-san."

Manabe smiled. "I've been trained for quite a few survival situations, you three don't need to worry about me."

"Can we rest a little bit?" Netto asked.

"Tired?" Enzan asked again.

"No…" Netto said slowly, but this time he gave no clever comeback.

Laika sighed but only Searchman could hear it. "We'll leave in two hours," he said and went into a separate room of the cabin they were in.

Netto flipped over onto his back and started at the wooden ceiling. He put his hands behind his head and gazed intently upwards. /Penny for your thoughts/ Rockman asked him.

/Think this time we'll catch him/ Netto asked.

/Not sure/ Rockman replied. /But I do know that we're very close so if we work hard enough I think we will./

Netto smiled and turned on his side. /You always know the right things to say/ Netto said.

/I'm your big brother, it's somewhat my job/ Rockman joked.

/Don't you mean big sister/ Netto teased.

/Fine then, little sister/ Rockman teased back.

Netto almost stuck his tongue out at the air but then he thought the better of it and just curled up and went to sleep. Enzan looked at Netto and sighed, he was tired regardless of any smart alec comments that Netto might use to tell him otherwise. Enzan grabbed a book out of his knapsack and sat down to read. Manabe and Yui got the equipment ready and Laika was nowhere to be seen for the next two hours.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Two hours later Netto felt himself being shaken awake. "What…" he asked sleepily.

"Time to go," Laika said.

Netto groaned and turned away from Laika. He curled up in a small ball and tried to ward off Laika with what he hoped was subconscious vibes. It didn't work.

"Netto," he said crossing his arms.

Netto groaned and flipped over to glare at Laika with tired eyes. "Go away," he muttered.

Laika at this point was used to Netto not having any tact what so ever when he woke up and just simply pulled the brunette off the couch. "Come on," he said.

Netto grumbled but let himself get pulled along somewhat unwillingly but not enough that Laika couldn't handle it. /You okay/ Rockman asked him.

/I'm fine, just a little tired/ Netto muttered.

/A little/ Rockman asked incredulously.

/Shut up/ Netto said and Rockman didn't reply.

Netto made sure to put on all of the clothes he possibly could. When he was done he looked something like an orange snowman but to his delight he didn't look like a girl. With his spirits somewhat lifted he went outside where the cold blast of wind woke him up in record time.

/Wow/ Rockman said.

/I told you/ Netto replied. /It's cold./

/I figured that/ Rockman said. /I can't believe Laika grew up in this weather./

Netto shrugged to the best of his abilities/I can/ he muttered.

Laika and Enzan came out and Laika immediately took command. "Follow me," he said.

Netto glanced at Enzan who shrugged and together they followed their friend out into the snow. It wasn't snowing but there was enough cold to compensate for that. Laika held a GPS in his hands and every five minutes he looked warily at the sky. /I wonder what's wrong/ Netto asked.

/I don't know, maybe you should ask him/ Rockman said.

Netto caught up with Laika and Enzan quickened his pace to catch up with Netto. "Anything wrong?" Netto asked.

Laika looked at Netto sharply as if he had been surprised. "No, why do you ask?"

"You keep on looking at the sky," Netto said. "Is something going to happen?"

Laika's gaze on Netto narrowed and he shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think the storm will wait for tomorrow to start," he said finally.

"What makes you say that?" Enzan asked.

"The sky is turning darker and it's too calm for my liking," Laika said. "I think something is going to happen."

"Should we head back, Laika-san?" Searchman asked.

Laika shook his head, "Not yet. Let's wait just a little bit longer, then if it does get any worse we can turn around."

Enzan looked around and couldn't tell the difference between the ground and the sky. "Where are we?" he asked.

"About a mile away from our destination," Laika said.

"The doctor?" Netto asked.

Laika shook his head, "No, where the radio waves are coming from. Which means him or maybe some kind of radio tower. Either way we're close to something," he said.

"Well, thank goodness," Netto muttered.

"Relax," Laika said. "I know what I'm doing."

Netto looked at Laika and gave him a broad smile that seemed to put the older boy at some kind of ease. "All right, so how far away from Dr. Cunningham are we?"

"Hard to say. The radio waves are bouncing all over the place. Bu we've got a fix on one definite location so that's where we're going."

Netto opened his mouth to reply but then he seemed to think the better of it and he just continued to follow Laika.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They came on an old snow covered building seemingly in the middle of nowhere. "I hope this is it," Netto muttered. "I'm freezing."

Laika nodded and he went up to the door of what seemed to be an old laboratory. "Searchman, plug in, transmission!" he yelled and Searchman went into the small computer. The door opened a bit unwillingly as it was caked with ice but it did open enough for the three boys to squeeze through.

They got inside and Searchman closed the door immediately so as to not let the cold in. They looked around and Netto sighed in disappointment. "This place hasn't been used in months," he said.

The monitor on his PET crackled to life, "Did you boys find anything?" Manabe asked.

Netto shook his head. "Nothing."

"Well, come back then, a storm is brewing and I don't want you three to get caught in it. We'll continue our search tomorrow."

"All right," Netto said and the screen went blank. He looked at the door, "Well you heard her."

"We're staying here," Laika said.

Enzan and Netto looked at him. "What?" the asked.

"We're staying here," Laika repeated. "Look, the storm is going to be here in two hours, that's nowhere near enough time to get back to Manabe-san."

Netto crossed his arms, "How do you know?" he asked.

Laika gave Netto a piercing gaze he had never seen before. "Just trust me, okay?" he asked.

Netto blinked then nodded. Laika plugged Searchman back into the computer. "Are there energy reserves?" he asked.

Searchman hacked into the lab's main operating system. "Yes, there is a generator outside, but it's old."

"See if you can use it to heat this place," Laika said.

"Yes, Laika-san."

Netto tapped some buttons on his PET in an effort to contact Manabe to tell them of their plan. "Are you getting a signal?" Laika asked.

"A really faint one, but not enough to send a video message," Netto replied.

"Just send her an e-mail then," Enzan said.

"O-oh, right, that's what I was going to do next," Netto laughed nervously and wrote the e-mail.

Enzan rolled his eyes and sat on a frozen chair. It was going to be a long snowstorm.

Searchman managed to get the old generator to give enough energy flow to heat the place and give them some light. There wasn't much heat, but it was enough that they knew without a doubt they wouldn't freeze to death, just get very cold. Netto curled into a ball around his PET and shivered. "Netto-kun?" Rockman asked.

"Yes?" Netto replied.

"I think I know what you meant about being cold," Rockman admitted.

"Yeah, no kidding," Netto muttered.

"Hm?" Rockman asked.

"Nothing," Netto said quickly.

"You okay?" Netto heard Enzan ask.

Netto looked up to see Enzan standing over him and looking at him with something Netto fancied as concern in his eyes. "I'm fine, why, worried?"

"A little," Enzan admitted.

Netto gave Enzan a startled glance. "Really?" he asked incredulously.

Enzan rolled his eyes and sat next to Netto. "Of course, I'm allowed to be worried about my friends, right?" he asked.

"O-oh!" Netto said laughing nervously and blushing. "Of course!" he said brightly.

Enzan gave him a strange look. "Are you really okay?" he asked again.

Netto crossed his arms and curled up a little tighter. "I'm fine. At least I'm not in a bathing suit."

Rockman laughed, "I thought you looked good," he teased.

Netto knew he couldn't glare at Rockman but he still looked pretty angry. "Say that again, I dare you," he hissed.

Rockman smiled and silently went into Blues' PET.

Laika walked over and sat down on the other side of Netto. "Well, that's all we can do for now. The storm will start soon," he said.

"How can you tell?" Netto asked again.

"I learned how to read weather signs while being trained to be military personnel. Sharro isn't a country where you can afford to take chances with Mother Nature," he said coolly.

"No kidding," Netto said, sinking into his coat.

"Are you okay?" Laika asked. He had completely missed the conversation between Netto and Enzan just a few minutes before.

"I'm fine!" Netto sighed. "Why the hell are you two so worried about me anyways? I can take care of myself perfectly fine, you know."

Rockman rolled his eyes but didn't say anything and Blues and Searchman both hid small smiles.

"Netto, first of all, no, you can't," Enzan pointed out. Netto glared at him but Enzan continued on. "Second of all, you've been very jumpy lately, and it's not like you to go curl up in a corner when there's a problem."

"I'm cold," Netto muttered.

"Right," Enzan said.

Netto sighed and rolled his eyes, "I'm fine!" he said again.

/Netto-kun, they're just trying to help/ Rockman said.

Netto sighed mentally/I know. But this is going the way it should. Even worse we don't know where to go next and we're stuck in a Sharro snowstorm. Sorry if I'm a little touchy./

/No you're not/ Rockman said, but with a touch of humor.

Netto resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at Rockman as he wasn't in front of him. /Who asked you/

Enzan nudged Netto. "You there?" he asked.

"Hm? Yeah, what kind of question is that?" Netto asked pointedly.

"You know we can never tell when you're talking to Rockman or just being weird," Enzan said.

"Huh?" Netto asked.

"He means you're not one to just suddenly be quiet," Laika replied.

Before Netto could reply there was a strong gust of wind against the doors that shook the small building. "Searchman, can you find any weather tracks?" Laika asked.

"The storm is fairly large; there is no weather pattern that shows how big it is. The time it will take to end is undeterminable."

"Thank you Searchman," Laika said.

"So, we're here all night then?" Netto asked.

"Looks that way," Searchman admitted.

"Think you can handle it?" Enzan teased.

Netto glared at him then smiled coyly. "Of course," he replied.

"Looks like Netto-san is feeling better," Blues said quietly to Rockman.

"Thank god," Rockman said putting a hand on his chest and giving a sigh of relief. Then he quickly took his hand of and turned a bright shade of red.

Searchman and Blues smiled wanly at Rockman. Rockman laughed nervously and tried to brush it off. It was his body after all, wasn't it?

The storm increased in intensity but the small building held up its own in the storm's wake. "This building is very strong," Blues observed.

Laika nodded, "Yes, Sharro makes some of the best weather resistant material in the world."

Netto stretched and finally stood up. "Well, that's nice to know."

"It's keeping you alive," Laika said.

Netto didn't reply and collapsed onto a couch. "What is this place anyway?" he asked.

"I think it's an old observation building," Laika said.

"A what?" Netto asked.

"For weather and environmental observations, people would stay here for a few days or so and see how this area of Sharro was holding up."

"Why?" Netto asked.

"Because, Sharro needs to be monitored. You never know when something will happen and we might need this area of Sharro to build a hide away place or something like that," Laika answered.

"So…" Netto paused thinking over his reply. "You're all really paranoid?"

Enzan snorted and coughed to mask what suspiciously sounded like a laugh. Even Blues looked highly amused.

Laika and Searchman weren't quite so thrilled with the implication, "No!" they yelled at the same time.

Netto laughed and Rockman joined in. "Awww, you don't have to be so protective," Netto teased Laika.

Laika put his best stony face on and did his best to ignore Netto at that point.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few hours later Netto had forgotten all previous misgivings about the place and just stared at the ceiling feeling very bored. He sighed and stretched.

"Bored?" Enzan asked without looking up from the novel he was reading.

"No, why?" Netto asked.

"That's the tenth time you've sighed in about a minute," Enzan replied.

"I'm…" Netto paused, "not bored," he said finally.

"That's a good argument," Enzan said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Netto muttered.

"The storm should be over in about 4 hours," Laika said, making sure to interrupt the argument before it became too big.

"Meaning?" Netto asked, without looking away from the ceiling.

"You might want to try and sleep," Laika said. "We're staying all night. Only an idiot would go into Sharro tundra after 11 pm."

Netto sighed again.

"Do you suppose Dr. Cunningham knows we're here?" Searchman asked.

Enzan shook his head. "Doubt it, even if he does, and he's around here, he's stuck same ask us. We still have a few more places to check, and hopefully no more snowstorms."

"That'd be nice," Rockman said.

"No kidding," Netto replied.

"Well, for now let's concentrate on just getting out of here in the morning," Laika said.

Netto slid from the couch and looked over Enzan's shoulder, "What are you reading?" he asked.

"A book about the end of the world," he replied.

"Lovely," Netto said dryly.

Enzan shrugged his shoulders. "To each his own," he said.

Netto sat next to Enzan and glanced at the book he was reading, trying to see if he was being sarcastic to make him go away or if he was serious. Ten minutes later he was asleep on Enzan's shoulder.

"That didn't take long," Laika noted.

Enzan shrugged but did it carefully. "Who cares, at least he's quiet."

"Aren't you going to move him?" Laika asked.

"Why?" Enzan replied without looking at his book.

Laika arched an eyebrow, "No reason," he said.

A little less then an hour later Enzan had fallen asleep as well, with his arms unknowingly around Netto.


	8. New Amsterdam

The next morning later Laika was shaking them both awake, "Get up," he said.

"Wha?" Netto asked sleepily. He noted Enzan's arms around him and jumped up.

Enzan yawned and stood up as well not realizing what had happened. "What's going on Laika?"

"Storm's done," Laika said simply and pointed to the door. "Time to go back."

Netto and Enzan nodded and Laika stepped out into the snow wincing from the bright light being refracted of the sugary looking powder. Netto and Enzan stepped out as well, both shading their eyes as soon as they got outside. "Well, was this a bust?" Netto asked.

Enzan shrugged, "Let's just get back," he sighed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yui pounced on the boys as soon as they walked into the door. "We were so worried!" she gushed.

Netto smiled and pulled Yui's arms off him. "We're fine Yui-nee-san," he said giving her a smile.

Yui smiled back and Manabe took charge, "Did you find anything?" she asked.

They all shook their heads.

Manabe gave them a small smile, "Well it's not like the information we got last time but I managed to contact Cunningham's friend who lives in Sharro. Peter Harrison is his name, a long time friend and college of our Cunningham."

"And?" Netto pressed.

"Well, Cunningham never stopped by, but Harrison did try and tell him about the virus. I don't think he got the information, but we know where he's going next."

"Yes?" Rockman asked.

"Ameroupe," she said simply.

Laika looked at her with an eyebrow raised, "That place is huge and has the largest country population in the world. Are the coordinates any more specific?"

Manabe nodded, "Apparently he has a city he likes to go to, New Amsterdam."

Enzan sighed, "Okay, that narrows it down to… eight million people."

Manabe sighed, "Well boys, it's a start at least."

Netto, Enzan and Laika nodded, and two hours later they were on another plane.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Netto stretched in the muggy heat of the over populated city. "Well, it's not a blizzard," he said while looking at the tall buildings.

"It's very big," Yui said while looking at the massive sky scrapers.

Enzan looked around with an almost content look on his face. Netto noted it and grinned, "You like this place?" he asked.

Enzan looked at Netto with an airy look, "This is one of the best cities for deals," he said. "I spend a lot of time here."

Manabe put her hand on Enzan's shoulder and smiled, "Good, then you can show us around," she said.

Enzan nodded, "I know the financial district the best," he said.

Manabe nodded, "Good, that's where we'll get the most information anyway. Here I'm going to try and pull some strings to get into the archives of the police building. If Cunningham has any equipment that lets out more energy then a conventional lap top you can bet that they know about it."

"Why?" Netto asked as they walked to the hotel they were going to stay at.

"Because, this city is so big and everything is so close together that if anything gives off too much energy it can interfere with other people's things. So they have to be careful about it," Manabe explained.

"And until you can pull the right strings?" Laika asked.

"I've got something for you boys to do. If we're careful, we can catch Cunningham here. This country has such tight security that it's next to impossible for non police force or military personnel to get in and out of the country in any less then a week," Manabe said. "Fortunately, we're both."

Netto laughed and clasped his hands behind his head, "Ah well, this place shouldn't be so bad," he said.

"What are we going to do?" Laika asked.

"I've already created a profile for a 'Hasakaiwa Hikaru' who has recently joined the net saviors," Manabe said looking at Netto. "You three will be taking on missions with New Amsterdam's branch of Net Saviors and getting any information you can."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Enzan asked.

"I'm pretending I'm a girl again?" Netto asked.

Laika looked at Netto with a touch of laughter in his eyes, "Netto, you are a girl."

Netto gave Laika a looked that made him falter slightly in his step.

Manabe nodded, "Don't worry, this police force is so wrapped up in it's own trying to keep a big city like this safe that I don't think they knew there was a Japanese branch, let alone who it's agents are. Just one thing, can you three speak English?"

Enzan, Laika and Netto all nodded.

Manabe smiled, "Good, then you shouldn't have any problem."

"This will be interesting," Enzan said so only Laika and Netto could hear.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be girl again. At least in Sharro you couldn't tell," Netto muttered.

"Would you rather be stuck in a snow storm?" Laika asked coolly.

"No," Netto admitted.

"Then be quiet," Enzan finished.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They all checked into the hotel and they all got their rooms. Manabe looked at Yui, "Well, can I trust you to keep my notes in order while I try and do this? This will be your first real secretary job with me."

Yui saluted her almost comically because she was so serious, "Yes ma'am!" she said proudly.

Manabe gave her a warm smile, "Okay. I have some people I want to call first, but if they can't come through then I'm afraid I might have to dig a little deeper on my own."

"What about us?" Netto asked.

"They have your PET frequencies," Manabe said. "You should be getting a call soon."

Netto sighed and walked into his room and set his PET on the bed. Rockman smiled at his wanly, "Maybe you should change so you can fit the part of 'Hikaru'" he suggested.

Netto nodded and opened his suitcase that was delivered to the room. He pulled out a loose orange t-shirt, a pair of jean shorts and a bra with distaste then went into the bathroom.

Enzan and Laika came into the room. "At least we're always busy," Enzan said, setting his PET next to Netto's.

Laika nodded, "Its better then sitting around. I think here we have a real chance at catching this guy once and for all."

"Than what?" Searchman asked.

"Then while he's wrapping his brain about how to fix the virus, we can catch it," Enzan said. "But we need to catch him first."

Netto came out of the bathroom, pulling his bandana out of his hair. Enzan and Laika looked at him but wisely decided not to say anything.

Netto sighed and plopped on Enzan's bed. "Well?" he asked.

"Well what?" Rockman replied. "It's not like it's going to take very long before we get a call."

Netto looked at the ceiling and Enzan opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by all three of their PET's simultaneously ringing.

Netto groaned and used his legs to gain enough momentum to get himself off his bed. He picked up his PET and pressed the button. "Hello?" he asked in English.

"Hello!" A gruff looking man greeted him in a fairly happy voice. "You must be the Electopian recruits. Glad to have ya on board!"

"It's our pleasure," Enzan said politely.

The man laughed, "Well, anyways, I gots a construction site system malfunction on 89th. I've got a team there already but it seems they need some back up. Can you three go help?"

All of them blinked. It wasn't an order; the man was actually asking them if they wanted to do it. Enzan and Laika were used to taking orders but Netto decided right then and there he liked the big man. "Yes sir!" he said cheerfully.

The man chuckled, "That's the spirit little lady!" Netto blushed, forgetting his current appearance. "I'll give yous a map and I'll see yous back here soon to give a report. Bye!" The screen went blank.

"Well, shall we?" Enzan asked.

"Little lady?" Netto asked incredulously.

Enzan and Laika rolled their eyes and each grabbed one of Netto's arms, steering him out of the hotel. "Get over it," Enzan said.

Netto glared at them and broke free from their grip and walked ahead of both of them.

They followed the directions to the street that was only a few blocks away. When they got there it was obvious that it was a virus attack. The heavy machinery was rolling around and the ports were all crackling with electricity.

Netto, Enzan and Laika plugged in their navi's quickly. A tall brawny youth jogged up beside them. "You guys the new recruits?" he asked.

The three nodded.

He gave them a warm grin, despite the current circumstances and stuck out his hand. "Hey, I'm Neil, nice to meet you."

For lack of anything better to do Netto took his hand and shook it firmly, "Hi, I'm N… I mean I'm Hikaru, that is Enzan," he motioned to Enzan, "And that's Laika."

He nodded at both Enzan and Laika. "Well, we've got bit of a mess here, be careful not to use any water or electric based battle chips."

"Why?" Netto asked.

"Because, this equipment is very valuable and expensive, we don't want to damage it," Neil explained.

"Is that why this has taken so long?" Laika asked.

Neil nodded, "The runner of this firm is a good man and can't afford any new equipment. Please try not to damage it."

Netto gave him a broad grin. "We'll do our best."

Neil smiled warmly, "Thanks Hikaru."

Everyone's attention turned to their PET's. "You hear that Rockman?" Netto called.

"Loud and clear!" Rockman chimed back.

Netto nodded and pulled out a sword battle chip, "Then let's get this done."

He slotted in the battle chip and Rockman ran through five viruses taking care not to run through anything that looked electrical.

Searchman proved to be their greatest asset as he was able to snipe the viruses with ease without damaging anything. Netto watched them and hit himself on the forehead, "Of course!" he said sheepishly.

"What?" Neil asked him.

"This," Netto replied and slotted in the Search Soul Unison Chip, "This should make things easier."

"Woah," Neil said.

Rockman started to snipe the viruses as well and finally, after a few tense minutes there was no trace of the viruses left. The equipment died and everything was silent.

"Whew," Netto said.

A boy who looked to be about Neil's age and a tall blond woman in her early thirties jogged out from behind the building. "Well, that was something else!" The woman boomed. "Who's the op of the blue navi?"

Enzan and Laika both pointed to Netto. She gave him a grin, "Well, am I glad to see another girl is at the head of a team."

/Girl/ Netto asked.

"Head of the team?" Enzan and Laika both asked.

The woman laughed. "Nice to meet you, my name is Cathy and I'm the supervisor of these two," she said and clapped her massive hands on Neil's and the other boy's shoulders. "You've already met Neil, and this is Andrew."

Andrew had black hair and blue eyes and he blushed when he looked at Netto. Netto blinked but didn't think anything of it.

"What do you mean, 'supervisor'?" Rockman asked.

"Every net team in New Amsterdam has a supervisor, usually an adult, and two subordinates, usually two kids. It's all according to strength though so age doesn't matter," Cathy explained.

"So, you must be really strong then," Netto said.

Cathy laughed and clapped Netto on the back almost knocking him over, "Aw, you're sweet kid. What are your names?"

Netto was too busy trying to breathe so Enzan took over the reigns of introduction. "My name is Enzan," he pointed to Laika, "That's Laika," and he looked at Netto, "And she's Hikaru."

Netto glared at Enzan but didn't say anything.

"So, Electopian recruits. Well, this should be fun, what are you here for anyways?" she asked.

"We're here to help on a secret mission for Electopia," Enzan quickly said before Netto had a chance to say anything he shouldn't.

"So, you're here for awhile then?" she asked.

"So it would seem," Laika said.

"Well then, until we get another call how about we go back to Head Quarters and introduce you guys to some people. Knowing the right people makes missions go by a lot faster."

"What do you mean?" Netto asked.

Cathy smiled at Netto, "Well, for example, if you're nice to Earl, who is the head of communications and a total computer whiz, he fixes up my PET when I ask him too. I'm not much of a fixer upper myself."

"Not at all…" Neil muttered.

"I heard that," Cathy said with an eyebrow raised. "Don't forget that I'm your superior."

"Yeah, I know," Neil said.

"So, you three up to meeting some people?" Cathy asked.

Netto grinned, "Sure."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They walked into a huge, grey building in between two other larger, even more grey buildings. "This place is so big…" Netto said looking up at the ceiling.

"We need a big place for our Head Quarters because we've got so many agents," Cathy explained, "New Amsterdam is a large city."

"I knew that," Netto said.

Cathy laughed, "I know, I know. Come on, I want you guys to meet the big cheese around here."

"The wha?" Netto asked.

"It's an expression, she means the boss," Andrew explained in a quiet voice.

"Oh," Netto said, and then he looked at Andrew. It just dawned on him that up until that point he hadn't heard Andrew talk. Andrew caught his gaze then looked away blushing. /He doesn't like me very much, does he/ Netto asked.

/Apparently not/ Rockman replied.

"Hm," they both said out loud.

"What is it?" Enzan asked.

"Ah, nothing," Netto replied.

They walked up a flight of stairs and came to a large oak door with frosted glass so you couldn't see on the other side. Cathy knocked on the door, "We've got some visitors!" she yelled.

"Come in!" a voice boomed.

Cathy opened the door and a large red faced man greeted them. Netto instantly recognized him as the man who had given them their mission. "You!" he said.

The man smiled, "Ah, the little Electopian lady." Netto turned a bright scarlet, "So, I take it all went well."

"You better believe it, old man!" Cathy said brightly.

The man gave a mock sigh, "See how my employees treat me? And Cathy's the worst of em all!" he said giving Cathy a fatherly grin.

Cathy smiled, "Yeah, you need people who can take you off your high horse, dad."

"Dad?" Netto asked.

Cathy nodded, "Yeup, this is my old man. But you can call him Mr. Peters."

Mr. Peters grimaced, "But that makes me sound so old!" he whined. "Just call me Red," he said.

Cathy rolled her eyes. Enzan and Laika were unsure of what to make of the strange man, Netto on the other hand instantly liked him.

"Nice to meet you Red-san!" he said cheerfully and stuck out his hand over the man's paper filled desk.

"Ah, you don't need to use the 'san' little lady," he said and took Netto's hand in a firm shake.

Cathy looked distastefully at her father's desk. "Daddy, you haven't been doing your paperwork," she said warningly.

Red looked instantly uncomfortable, "Well, I was just getting to that," he boomed nervously.

"I'm sure," Cathy said dryly.

Red cleared his throat, "Well, as you know I'm a busy man…"

"Daddy…" Cathy said again.

"I'll start it as soon as you leave."

Cathy crossed her arms, "You better," she said. "Come on, time for our navi's to meet each other."

"Sounds fun!" Netto cheered.

Cathy clapped Netto on the back again, "I like you Hikaru!" she said loudly as they left the office.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They went downstairs to a large holographic dome. "You can plug in here," Cathy said pointing to a black dome. Netto aimed his PET into it and Rockman appeared in real life size in the dome. "Cool!" Netto breathed.

Enzan and Laika followed suit and Blues and Searchman also appeared.

"All right," Cathy said and pointed her PET at the dome. A navi dressed in a pale blue jump suit with long green hair and a visor that hid his eyes appeared in the net. "This is Sky, she's normally a female but we all know what happened," Cathy smiled.

Sky blushed but didn't say anything.

Neil and Andrew plugged in as well. Another male and a female appeared. The male was wearing a pastel and dark green jumpsuit with a skirt making up the lower half of the battle armor. His hair was shoulder length and also green and his helmet had a clear visor on it that showed large blue eyes. "H-her name is Jade, I customized her myself," Andrew said shyly.

"Hi Jade!" Netto waved at the navi. She gave him a grin and waved back. Jade was obviously a little less timid then her operator whose blush deepened when Netto waved at his navi.

The female was dressed in bright yellow and black armor and her face was almost completely hidden by her helmet. She had two flat blades sticking out of her shoulders that looked slightly like wings. Neil grinned, "This is Hornet, my navi."

Hornet nodded at the threesome. Rockman walked over and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you," he said.

Hornet took his head in a firm grip. "I saw you battling, you're very strong. It is an honor to meet such a powerful navi."

Rockman smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "Th-thank you…"

"Well! Now that we're all acquainted, how about something to eat?" Cathy asked.

"Sounds great," Netto said.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

New Chapter new characters, so what do you think?


	9. Plot Points

Cathy led them all out of the large building across the street to a small café that was small and cozy, but didn't seem like it saw too many customers on any given day. "Hey Ted!" Cathy said cheerfully at the man behind the counter.

A rather large man in his mid forties turned around and gave them a big grin. "Hey Cath, hungry?"

"Famished, hour long virus bust this morning to try and save Steve's equipment. Never would gave managed it either if not got these three," she said, motioning to Netto, Enzan and Laika.

The man raised an eyebrow at the kids and laughed. "You must be some good net battlers to get praise like that from Cathy," he said with a slight drawl in his voice.

"Aw Ted, you should have seen it. Ten minutes after they came the viruses were gone," Cathy started.

Neil motioned to Netto, Enzan and Laika. "Come on, they'll talk forever, we might as well get a table."

"Cathy-san knows a lot of people, huh?" Rockman asked.

Neil nodded, "She knows everyone," he said. "I mean, you can go to the south side were the area is… less then friendly and she'll know this person who gives cats free food and milk. Cathy is definitely a people person."

"Sounds like someone we know," Enzan said giving Netto a side long glance.

Netto elbowed him but didn't say anything.

Neil gave a short laugh and picked up his menu. "So, what do you guys want?"

"Hm?" Netto asked, then he saw the menu. "Ah, no idea," he said. "This place probably doesn't have curry does it?"

Neil burst out laughing and even Andrew managed a small smile. "You're funny Hikaru. Nah, this is a diner, mostly fast food and salads. There is a really good curry restaurant on south street if you're interested in going some day."

Netto grinned, "Maybe," he said.

"Don't forget what we came here for," Enzan muttered to Netto.

"Ummm, how could I forget?" Netto muttered back.

Rockman giggled and Blues, Searchman and Laika all managed to hide small smiles at Netto's retort.

"So, what do you want?" Neil asked.

"I guess I'll have a cheese burger," Netto said as he set the menu back down and slouched in his seat.

"That sounds good," Cathy said as she walked over to where they were sitting. "Make that two."

"I'll have a salad," Laika said.

"I'm not hungry," Enzan muttered.

"Cheeseburger for me," Neil said.

"Same as Neil," Andrew said.

"All righty!" said Ted. "It will be coming your way in a few minutes. Hang tight."

Cathy pushed Neil over and ignored his loud protest as she sat down in the chair. "Well kids, we're most likely gonna be given another mission soon, so eat fast, all right?"

They nodded and small talk flowed easily among Netto and Cathy as they compared missions.

After they finished eating their food they returned to the Head Quarters to relax before the next summon on a mission. Netto, Enzan and Laika used this as an excuse to rifle through old transfer data files to see if there was a data signature similar to that they found in Sharro and Jawaii.

"Anything?" Netto asked while going through several week old files on the computer.

Enzan and Laika both muttered "No," at the same time and Netto sighed.

"Manabe-san did say it might take while," Rockman said.

Netto made a face, "Yeah, it'd be hoping too much for a lucky strike when we first look. But still…"

"Yeah, I know," Rockman said.

There was a knock at the door and Cathy poked her head it. "Hey kids, as thrilling as I'm sure this is, we got a new mission."

"Coming," Netto said as he stood up and stretched.

Enzan and Laika stood up as well and followed Netto out of the room.

Red set down a stack of papers in front of him and grinned at them. "Well little lady, I must say it was a stroke of luck when you were sent to us."

Netto, Laika and Enzan immediately became suspicious at what this might mean.

"We have gotten several complaints that a 'Vigilante' of sorts has been sabotaging the Junior Pageant being held here. The latest incident nearly caused a fire that if left unchecked would have burned down the building with several hundred people in it."

"That's horrible," Rockman said.

Cathy sniffed, "A pageant? Dad, I know what that person did was wrong but still…"

"It is your job to protect the peace. Not to mention that many people could have died because of that," Red said in a bark. "I know your distaste for such contests, but those girls' lives are in danger."

Cathy crossed her arms but was silent.

Netto blinked, "A pageant?"

Enzan and Laika both stared at Netto. "You don't know what that is?" Enzan asked in Japanese.

Netto shrugged sheepishly.

Red missed the exchange entirely and put a manila envelope on the desk. "I'd like Hikaru to go undercover and the rest of you with her to try and stop a disaster from happening. This is very serious, and we obviously know this person means business. The next accident may not be so forgiving," he said.

"What…" Netto started. Cathy leaned over and whispered something in Netto's ear and Netto slowly turned a bright cheery red. "WHAT?"

Enzan and Laika both took several small steps away from Netto.

"Dad this isn't fair. You can't just order someone in a pageant, I mean, come on."

"Cathy!" Red barked making everyone suddenly stand up straight and be very silent. "I know what you're feelings are on this kind of thing but the fact remains that if we don't do something hundreds of lives are in danger. Do I make my self clear?"

"Yes sir," Cathy muttered.

"Hikaru," Red said turning to Netto. "I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but you have to understand what a dire situation this is."

/……but…/ Netto tried to argue with Rockman instead.

/He's right… Netto-kun. Think of it as the Aki-chan contest./

/But Enzan and Laika weren't at the Aki-chan contest/ Netto said.

/Netto, do whatever you think is right/ Rockman said.

Enzan and Laika took one more step away from Netto but watched him closely. It was a mission and he knew what that meant.

"I'm not forcing any of you to take this mission, although I strongly suggested that you were the best team for it," Red said. "No one is making you do anything."

Netto sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I know…" he said in a soft voice. /Damn I hate it when you're right/ Netto hissed to Rockman.

Rockman just smiled.

Netto made a face, "Fine…" he said.

Red gave them a broad grin, "All right." Then he turned to his daughter, "Cathy you know my policy, I don't make anyone do anything or go anywhere they don't want to. You can refuse this mission and I can have another team help them."

Cathy shook her head, "No, I'm staying on. Only because I want to help, not because I think it's right."

Red nodded, "Fair enough. Well kiddies, I wish you luck. And…" he lowered his voice as Cathy stormed out of the room. "Keep an eye on my daughter; she tends to let her emotions get the best of her sometimes."

Neil and Andrew nodded and followed Cathy out the door. Netto, Enzan and Laika followed a little ways behind.

"I can't believe you agreed to that," Enzan muttered.

"Well… it's not like I could let several hundred people be in danger…" Netto muttered.

Enzan gave Netto a small smile and patted him on the shoulder, "You're insane, you know that?"

"I know it!" Rockman said loudly.

"Shut up," Netto muttered.

Everyone gave a small grin and then they picked up their pace to catch up with Cathy, Neil and Andrew.

"All right everyone, are we ready?" Cathy asked.

"Yes…" everyone answered a little unenthusiastically.

"I know this isn't the world's best mission but hey, people's lives are in danger and we need to help. That's what being a Net Savior is about, right?" Cathy asked almost as if she was trying to pep talk herself.

"Right," Netto said.

Cathy smiled at him then turned to everyone else. "Okay, you four are undercover so I want you to go to your posts and stay there. If you see anyone or any thing suspicious tell me and we'll come to help, otherwise I want you to stay still and have a sharp eye out."

They nodded and split off. Cathy put a hand on Netto's shoulder and sighed, "Well kid, looks like we're on our own."

"Right," Netto said apprehensively.

"Let's try and get this solved before any thing gets out of hand, okay?" Cathy asked.

"Yes!" Netto said.

"Okay then, let's go in the back and see what is going on, maybe we can figure out something there," Cathy said.

They walked into the back dressing room where Netto immediately cast his eyes on the ground in an effort to not look at anything. Cathy laughed nervously and it became apparent to their navis that they were both very uncomfortable in there. "Oh dear," Rockman said.

Sky smiled nervously, "Cathy doesn't like these kinds of things."

"I noticed," Rockman said.

"Is Hikaru all right?" Sky asked.

"Hikaru… is fine," Rockman said evasively.

Cathy grinned and put a hand on Netto's shoulder, "Don't worry, let's just get to your room and get ready for the dinner."

"Dinner?" Netto asked.

"Yeah, it's a dinner where the contestants can meet the judges; there is no doubt that whoever is trying to stop this pageant will sabotage the dinner."

Netto exhaled slowly, "But if that happens then everyone at the dinner will be…"

"Exactly," Cathy said. "Don't worry; I'm sure we can handle it."

Netto grinned and nodded as they made their way towards the back door.

Netto held up the dress and sighed. Cathy looked at it, "Well it's not too bad," she said.

"It's a dress," Netto said simply.

Cathy nodded, "Yeah, I know that feeling too. Tell you the truth, I hate dresses."

Netto glanced at her, "Really?" he asked.

Cathy nodded, "I find them to be very uncomfortable, however for tonight…"

"You have to wear one too?" Netto guessed.

"Yeup," Cathy said tightly. "Well you know what they say," she sighed,

"No, what?" Netto asked.

"Misery loves company," Cathy finished.

"Oh," Netto looked down cast.

"I'll go change in the next room, okay?" Cathy asked.

Netto nodded and watched as Cathy walked into the room conjoined to his. He held up the dress again and sighed, "This sucks," he muttered.

"Well, at least there's a point to it," Rockman said.

Netto nodded, "Yeah, I guess." He glanced at Rockman, "Turn around."

Rockman sighed exasperatedly and did as he was told while Netto pulled off his clothes to change. "So, where do you think the person will attack?" Rockman asked.

"I'd attack the main power core if I was trying to crash a dinner," Netto said thoughtfully. "But that would be hard, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm…" Rockman mused silently.

Netto tried to pull on the dress but found he was really having no luck. He turned sharply and fell to the ground with a loud crash and a yelp that could be heard throughout the hallways.

"Was that Netto?" Enzan asked.

"Netto can take care of himself," Laika said simply.

There was another crash and silence. Enzan looked at the door worriedly, "I'm going to go see what's wrong."

"Enzan…" Laika tried to stop his friend but Enzan was already heading towards the door.

"Owwww…" Netto groaned rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you all right?" Rockman asked with his back still turned to Netto.

Netto nodded, "I'm fine I think."

Just then the door to his room opened and Enzan came inside looking slightly worried. "Netto are you……" he stopped dead.

Netto and Enzan stared at one another for several moments before Netto pulled the fabric of the dress in front of himself and yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE, MORON!"

Enzan was a healthy shade of pink as he slammed the door and hightailed it away from the room.

"You forgot already?" Laika asked as Enzan turned a corner.

Enzan was still bright pink as he held his hand in front of his nose, "Do you have…" he asked.

Laika held out a tissue and Enzan took it gratefully, "Thanks," he said.

"I tried to warn you," Laika said with a touch of amusement.

"Oh god…" Enzan muttered.

"Enzan-sama…" Blues sighed.

Ten minutes later they all converged in the hallway. Netto was wearing a sky blue Chinese style dress with gold and silver embroidery in various Chinese characters. He wore pale blue slip on shoes and someone must have twisted his arm into letting them do his hair because it was gathered in a small blue hair piece that kept it out of his eyes. Around his wrists were thin blue and silver bangles to offset everything else and he carried his pet in a purse made out of the same fabric as his dress.

Cathy was wearing a red dress similar in style to Netto's only it was longer and reached the floor where as Netto's hem hovered just above his fingertips. Cathy's hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail and she had red and gold bangles on as well as red slippers. She also carried her PET in a purse but it was slightly open to tell people that she didn't want to be messed with.

Enzan, Laika, Neil and Andrew stared openly at them while Netto turned a bright pink that clashed wonderfully with his dress.

"You look nice," Andrew said finally.

"I feel like an idiot," Netto muttered.

"I second that," Cathy growled.

"Well, you're playing as Hikaru's mentor so you have to look nice," Neil reminded her. "And Hikaru, I think you look very nice."

Netto sighed, "Thanks Neil but still…"

Neil nodded, "I know, I know, but if we catch the person tonight then we don't have to deal with anything else."

"Then let's catch them," Netto said.

"That's the spirit," Cathy said while slapping Netto on the back.

Netto grinned and felt a little better. /One step closer/ he said.

Rockman nodded in his PET/Yeup, these are all steps./

/I still feel like an idiot/ Netto said.

Rockman giggled/All right, you can feel like an idiot and still do your job though./

Netto almost laughed but caught himself in time/Thanks nii-san/ Netto said.

/Any time/ Rockman replied.

"Well kids, let's go," Cathy said while walking towards the door. "The Net Criminal isn't going to wait for us to strike."

They all nodded and followed Cathy down the stairs into the ball room.

When they went inside the massive ball room even Netto had to stop and take a double glance. It was big, impressive, elegant and really not his kind of thing but it was just best to suck it up and go with it. "So, who does what?" Netto asked.

"Well it's either undercover or in hiding, so who wants to be with Netto and Cathy and who wants to keep an eye out from the back ground?" Neil asked.

"I'll be undercover," Enzan said catching Netto's eye and getting a smile from the brunette.

"I…" Andrew said softly.

"All right, I'll go with Laika and we'll find a good stakeout spot. If anything happens e-mail us and we'll do the same," Neil said while taking over his friend's decision for him.

Andrew smiled and nodded and Neil. "Good luck," Cathy told them.

"Bye!" Netto said cheerfully as they left.

Cathy sighed, "All right, so what do you think we should do from here?" she asked them.

"You're asking us?" Enzan asked. "Aren't you the leader?"

"I'm asking for your opinion," Cathy said, "And yes, I am the leader so my word is final."

"I think we should back up Laika and Neil from below," Neil said softly. "Plug in our navis and make sure that nothing is going on down here."

Cathy nodded, "Okay good plan, but whose navis?"

"Rockman and Blues can go," Netto said automatically.

Enzan nodded, "They're used to working independently of us," he explained.

"Fine with me," Rockman said in response to the comment. "Blues?"

"I don't mind," Blues answered.

Cathy grinned, "All right, sounds like a plan. Meanwhile we bide our time down here and wait for a signal from Laika and Neil. Oh and Hikaru, no hiding," she said.

"Damn," Netto said.

Enzan gave him a slight smile, "Take it as it comes," he said softly.

"Like when you snuck in on me earlier?" Netto whispered back.

Enzan turned a bright red, "Sorry," he said quickly.

Netto eyed him, "Just… don't do it again."

"Fine with me," Enzan answered.

"What are you two whispering about? What are you, a love sick couple?" Cathy asked.

Netto and Enzan sprang about three feet apart instantly. "No," they both said with a blush.

"Relax kids, it was just a joke," Cathy said while eyeing them. "Unless you really are…" she said with a devilish grin.

"We're not!" they both said stiffly.

Andrew looked a little put out during this conversation but seemed to brighten up by the end of it. "So, where do we go?" Netto asked.

"We wait until they open the doors to the dining room and then we go inside while the judges walk around pretending to get to know the contestants. It's really a way of scoping out the competition," Cathy said darkly.

"You really don't like these things, do you?" Netto asked her.

"That I do not," Cathy's lips twisted in an effort to look somewhat excited.

"So, how would they sabotage the dinner?" Enzan asked.

Cathy shrugged, "Food poisoning, some kind of trap, I don't know, there are tons of ways to sabotage this kind of thing."

"What about setting a trigger on the door to make it explode when opened?" Netto asked while glaring darkly at the big oak doors that led into the dining room.

Cathy shrugged, "It's certainly viable, why?" she asked.

Netto pointed at the door where a small wire could be seen wrapped around the elegant door handles. "I think we just found the plan."

Cathy took in a quick breath and regained herself. "All right, you three stay here, we're undercover and we can't blow it. I'll contact Laika and Neil to diffuse it and we'll continue with things as planned."

"All right," Netto said.

"Did Rockman warn you of that?" Enzan murmured into his ear.

Netto gave him a small smile, "He figured it would be less conspicuous then me taking a PET out of my purse," he muttered back.

"Clever," Enzan said.

"He says 'thank you,'" Netto replied.

"That was a really good move, Hikaru," Neil said softly.

Netto smiled at him, "Thanks, but that's what were here for, right?" he asked.

Neil nodded, "Yeah. But I've only been doing this for about six months, father's orders," he made a face.

"What does that mean?" Netto asked.

Andrew sighed, "My dad is a police captain and thinks I should have experience in fighting for people. Only…"

"What?" Netto pressed.

Andrew rubbed his arm in an uncomfortable way, "I don't like fighting very much," he said. "I don't like seeing Jade in danger."

Netto gave him an encouraging smile, "There's nothing wrong with that. Why don't you just tell him that?"

"My dad isn't someone you can just, 'talk to'" Neil said with a small sigh.

"I know what that's like," Enzan muttered.

Netto gave Enzan a small glance before looking back at Andrew, "Well, then are you going to keep doing this?" he asked.

Andrew shrugged, "I don't know, maybe. I like fighting viruses and helping people but when it comes to fighting other navis… it feels like I'm fighting a person, you know?"

Netto nodded, "Yeah, I know what that's like. And I know what pain a navi can feel too, but I prefer doing something then just sitting back."

Andrew smiled at Netto, "That's why I like you, Hikaru. You're strong and you can take things into your own hands, like Cathy. But I…" he drifted off.

"What?" Netto pressed.

"I prefer to make a difference with words," Andrew said dreamily. "I like writing stories and poetry. My dad says that's a girly thing to like though…"

"Forget what your dad says," Netto said simply. "Care about what you say, and what you think."

"I've been telling him that for years," a voice said from his PET and it was presumed it was Jade. "But he is so scared of that blowhard…"

"Jade!" Andrew said with a surprised look on his face.

"He rules your life Andrew. If you don't want to be here then he isn't a very good father for forcing his child to do things he doesn't want to. Besides, your poetry is really good and I kinda wish he could see that."

Andrew sighed, "He doesn't like it because it reminds him of mom," he said suddenly. "He doesn't care if it's good or not."

Netto and Enzan were really at a loss of what to say and they were glad when Cathy came back. "Okay kids, they took care of it."

"Thank god," Netto said. "Can we go now?"

Cathy gave a short laugh, "Oh I wish. But we've got to see this through, sorry," she said.

Netto sighed and someone at the front of the room clapped their hands, "Okay everyone! I'd like to have your attention as we are about to open the main doors."

They all watched the door open with out incident and they all filed inside into the dining room.

Everything after that passed without incident. Enzan helped Netto to not get too upset when a snobby girl insulted him and Andrew managed to say more then 'yes' and 'no' the whole evening. All in all it wasn't too bad but Netto was happy when he was able to go into his hotel room. "I'm so tired," he groaned.

"It's all right, at least we avoided disaster," Rockman noted.

Netto yawned, "Yay," he said dryly. "Now to get out of this damn dress," he hissed but he was interrupted by a knock on his door.

He opened it, "Hello?" he asked.

"Hi…" Andrew said shyly, "Um I…" he turned a bright red.

"Yes?" Netto asked, oblivious to his apparent body temperature change.

"Would you… like to go on a walk with me?" he asked finally.

Netto sighed, "I kinda wanted to get out of this dress," he admitted, then he saw a small journal in Andrew's hands. "What's that?" he asked.

Andrew looked at the journal and tried to hide it behind his back, "N-nothing," he said quickly.

"Aww, come on, what is it?" Netto asked.

Andrew blushed, "It's kinda like my journal, I write a lot of my poetry and short stories in it."

"Oh, can I see?" Netto asked.

Andrew continued to blush, "Well, I… are you interested?" he asked.

"Sure," Netto grinned, "But first, can I change?" he asked.

Andrew smiled, "Sure."

Netto got out of the evening attire and pulled on a loose shirt and a pair of sweat pants. He went back out into the hall where Andrew was leaning by the door. "So, what are some of your stories?" he asked.

Andrew gave him a small smile and opened the book, "Well, this is one of my favorites…" he started and pointed to the page. "I thought of it on a bus ride to school."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Longish chapter. Enjoy.


	10. Andrew

"Come on kid, get up," Cathy said while knocking on Netto's door.

"Oh please don't make me get up, not yet…" Netto groaned.

"Come on, today all you have to do is look nice do what the man tells you too and then you're home free."

"And tonight?" Netto asked, sensing an underlying threat to the words.

Cathy sighed, "We go to a ball in honor of the pageant."

Netto shoved his face into his pillow and didn't come out for a few more minutes just to express silently his opinion on what he was just told.

When he finally did come out Cathy patted his shoulder and gave him a small grin, "Don't worry, at least the beginning of the day won't be too hard."

Cathy was right, the day was uneventful at most and Rockman had to keep on yelling at Netto mentally in order to keep him awake.

"Boring," Netto yawned as they went back to the hotel.

Neil nodded, "No kidding, I was almost asleep at my PET."

Netto smirked, "I'm amazed I didn't fall asleep."

"Me too," Enzan and Laika said together.

"Well kids, day two isn't over. We already predicted this," Cathy said warningly. "We're all going to the ball tonight," she said matter of factly. This earned her a groan from Netto but everyone else nodded. "That's where our hacker may attack tonight. There's a judges table where the crown worn by the winner this year will be on showcase, I expect something to be there but we can't be certain until we get there. Till then, suck it up, and I expect you four to meet us here in about an hour."

"An hour?" Netto asked.

"Yeah, you want to rest don't you?" Cathy asked.

Netto gave her a grin and nodded, "Thank you…" Rockman said softly.

"Is Netto a little testy?" Blues asked.

"A little?" Rockman scoffed. "Ha, understatement of the year," he said and left the main computer to go into his PET.

Netto trotted upstairs behind Cathy, "Think we can catch whoever this is tonight?" Netto asked.

Cathy grinned at him, "One can only hope!"

Netto laughed and they disappeared into their own rooms. Netto flopped onto his bed and gazed at the ceiling, "Wow today was boring," he said matter of factly.

Rockman nodded, "No kidding. I thought you were going to fall asleep no matter what I did."

Netto laughed, "Aw, I was trying," he said to his navi.

Rockman smirked, "I know but I swear you still dropped off for a few minutes there."

Netto shrugged, "Ah well, hopefully tonight we can end it."

"Don't get too hopeful it might be a trap like last time," Rockman pointed out.

Netto made a face, "I hope not, I kinda want a break and you know maybe catch Dr. Cunningham and the virus."

Rockman nodded, "I know," he sighed.

Back at the hotel where Manabe and Yui were staying Manabe was typing furiously on a laptop and Yui was running back and forth around the room answering phone calls, bringing Manabe papers that were being faxed and every once in awhile, falling over.

"Um, Manabe-san, it's Haseyawa-san on your cell phone?" Yui asked with her hand over the receiver.

Manabe held out her hand while still typing on the computer with one. She put the phone to her ear, "Yes?" she asked.

"I heard you want to get your hands on a signal breech paper," he said with a laugh.

Manabe sighed, "In New Amsterdam, can you help me?" she asked.

"Can you give me a sample?"

Manabe eyed the computers from Sharro and Jawaii, "I think we can provide you with something," she said.

"Hmmm… I don't know, this seems pretty tough," Haseyawa said in a drawl.

Manabe sighed, "Can you, or can't you do it?" she asked.

"Dinner and a movie?" he asked.

"Dinner and… we'll see," Manabe said with a smile playing on her lips.

"You've got yourself a deal, how much time do I have?" he asked.

"I'd ask for it as soon as possible."

"Two days it is!" he said cheerfully. "I'll call you when you get back in Electopia."

"All right, thank you," she said.

"No problem, I owe you one anyway," he said with a laugh.

"Then why am I having dinner with you?" Manabe asked.

"Because of my charm, wit and wonderful demeanor. See you," he said and hung up.

Manabe sighed and hung up as well. "Now we can just search for the virus," she murmured.

"Manabe-san?" Yui asked.

"Yes?" Manabe replied.

"There's a call for you on your cell phone again," Yui said while pointing to the ringing device at Manabe's foot.

Manabe sighed and picked it up, "Two days, huh?" she sighed.

Netto looked at the dress. It wasn't bad in its own right it's just that it was… a dress. The garment was a pale blue color with sleeves that went all the way down his arms and pointed at the base of his middle finger. The over sleeves and the skirt were made of a very fine pale blue chiffon that reached all the way to the floor. The bodice was embroidered with silver and lavender and it stopped at his upper chest where the sleeves and bodice were connected with a semi see through, shimmer fabric that fastened at his neck. "It's not bad," Cathy said while eyeing her simple, renaissance-esque dress.

"It's a dress," Netto said flatly.

"Oh well," Cathy sighed, "Like I said before, suck it up and put it on."

Netto sighed and went into the bathroom to wrestle into the dress. The skirt got entangled around his legs but he managed to get it on after a few minutes of struggle. He came back out and Cathy grinned, "Well, at least you look good."

Netto stuck his tongue elegantly at her, "Thank you," he said.

Cathy laughed out loud and handed him his PET, "Come on kid, let's go there thinking it'll be over tonight."

"Yeah!" Netto cheered and put on simple silver dancing slippers before following Cathy down to the lobby where the other four boys were waiting.

Just as the night before, Enzan and Andrew stared openly while Neil grinned at them both and Laika gave no notice except for a tiny red tinge on his cheeks. "I hate dresses," Netto muttered.

Laika gave him a small grin, "Ah well, it'll all be over soon."

Netto nodded, "Yeup," he said.

Neil strode up to Cathy and even though she was easily four inches taller then him he bowed and offered her his arm in a goofy manner, "Milady?"

Cathy laughed out loud, "Oh you're such a little brat," she teased.

Neil smiled as she took his arm in jest and they walked out of the hotel together.

Netto rolled his eyes, "Ha, cute," he said sarcastically.

Enzan shrugged, "Well, we are here to work," he said softly.

Netto nodded, "Yeah, I know. Let's go."

Laika and Enzan went out in front and Netto came up in the rear with Andrew. "Shy?" he teased.

Andrew blushed, "Kinda," he admitted.

Netto smiled at him, "Don't worry about it, we'll be in and out in no time. Just think of it as going to work."

Andrew looked Netto up and down and his blush deepened, "Yeah…" he said so softly that Netto had to strain to hear his voice.

"Are you all right?" Netto asked.

Andrew nodded, "Thanks for listening to my writing last night," he said suddenly after a long pause.

Netto grinned, "No problem, it was really nice."

Andrew gave Netto a small grin and averted his eyes back to the ground.

/What's up with him/ Netto asked Rockman.

/No idea…/ Rockman answered.

They arrived at the building five minutes later. The first thing Netto did was hide behind Enzan to make sure no one would see him and possibly ask him to dance. "I never pictured you to be anti-social," Enzan teased him.

"Ha ha," Netto said dryly. "Really funny."

Laika merely sighed but decided that it was in his best interest not to intervene.

"Hikaru?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah?" Netto replied.

"Aren't you going to dance?"

Netto snorted, "Not likely. I can't dance, nor do I particularly want to."

"Oh," Andrew said softly and edged away quietly.

"Netto," Rockman said softly.

"What?" Netto hissed. "I am not dancing."

Rockman sighed and decided to leave his irritable operator alone for the time being.

"Are you all right?" Enzan asked Netto.

Netto gave him a look that said 'Do I look okay?'

"Sorry," Enzan muttered under his breath.

"Netto, I think those are judges," Laika said while nodding at a woman and a man headed their way.

"So?" Netto asked, crossing his arms.

Enzan and Laika rolled their eyes and merely watched the unfolding drama.

"Hello dear," the woman said in a cheery voice.

"Hi," Netto said flatly.

The woman faltered a bit but the man plunged into the dead conversation, "So, how are you my dear?"

"Fine," Netto said simply trying his damndest to keep his answers one word.

The man wasn't giving up as easily as his comrade, "May I ask your reasons for competing?"

Netto blinked, there was a curve ball. /Uh…/

/Well say something/ Rockman urged.

/I'm a undercover agent who's really a boy and just doing this to pass the time while we're looking for a lunatic scientist/ Netto snapped.

/I'm not talking to you right now/ Rockman said slowly and cut off their mental link.

Netto sighed, "Because," he said slowly.

Enzan and Laika just both stared at him openly at this point.

A small grin passed over the man's face. "Good answer," he whispered as they moved on.

"Really?" Enzan asked.

"Shut up," Netto said quietly so the retreating judges couldn't hear.

It took all of Laika's self control to not laugh out loud. "Maybe you should… do something to avoid that again," he suggested with the barest hint of amusement in his voice.

Netto glared at him, "Like what?" he snapped.

Laika figured his best tactical decision was to back off at that point. Netto on the other hand could tell he was starting to get a little annoying so he walked away over to a secluded corner where he could simmer without pissing anyone off. Except maybe Rockman, but they would talk again soon, eventually.

Netto sighed/I hate this./

/What/ Rockman asked.

/Waiting/ Netto said sulkily.

/So that's what you're upset about/ Rockman said.

Netto blinked/Yeah, what did you think I was upset about./

/Never mind/ Rockman said. /You were awfully snappish to Andrew./

/I'm not dancing/ Netto muttered.

Rockman laughed/All right, fair enough. I thought the dress was bugging you./

/It is bugging me/ Netto replied. /But sitting here like targets is even more annoying./

Rockman nodded/That it is./

The twin's conversation was interrupted by Andrew walking over and blushing madly. "Hey," he said while avoiding Netto's eyes.

Netto nodded, "Hi," he said. "So, find out anything yet?"

"What?" Andrew asked.

Netto gave him an odd stare, "The mission?" he asked.

"Oh!" Andrew said. "R-right. Neil said that he hasn't found anything yet but he's keeping his eyes out."

"Darn it," Netto sighed. "I was kind of hoping something would happen."

"Don't like waiting?" Andrew guessed with a small smile.

Netto made a face while Rockman said, "Bingo."

Just then Jade cleared her throat. "O-oh, right… Hikaru?"

"Yeah?" Netto asked.

Andrew began to turn several more shades of red, "W-would…" he took in a deep breath and said, "Would you dance with me?" really quickly.

Netto was caught off guard, "What?" he asked.

"I…well…" Andrew's nerve finally failed him. "Never mind," he said quietly and turned around.

Netto frowned, "Wait… I was just wondering what you said."

/You didn't hear that/

/He said it so quickly…/

"Would you like to dance with me, Hikaru?" Andrew said slowly.

It was Netto's turn to blush a bright cherry red. "I…" /What do I say/ he asked.

/Well… uhhh… one dance couldn't hurt. I mean he really did try hard to ask…/

Andrew could feel the tension in the air grow during the silence.

Netto blinked, then sighed. "All right…" he said apprehensively.

Andrew's face brightened. "Really?"

Netto nodded, "Sure, but only once."

"You don't like to dance?" Andrew asked.

Netto shook his head, "Not like this."

Andrew smiled as they walked towards the dance floor. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not good," Netto pointed out.

Andrew shrugged, "It's all right, I'm not either."

Netto and Andrew both laughed and proceeded to dance together, badly.

"Is that… Netto-san?" Blues asked.

Enzan looked out at the dance floor. "Oh my god…" he muttered.

"What?" Laika asked.

"He's actually dancing… with Andrew…" Enzan said slowly.

Laika glanced at him, "Well it does let them talk to other people. I'm not quite sure that's what was in mind but…" He looked at Enzan's face and something dawned on him, "Why, jealous?"

"What?" Enzan yelped. "N-no! I'm not… what in the hell gave you that idea?"

Laika lifted a glass of punch to his lips, "I just pulled it out of thin air," he said sarcastically.

Enzan glared at the minty haired boy. "Laika…" he growled.

"Enzan, I'm sorry but at this point it's damn obvious," Laika said bluntly. "I've noticed it, your navi has, my navi has hell everyone has but Netto and Rockman because by some magic they can remain oblivious to everything they want to until it's said outright to them."

Enzan's glare intensified, "Are you saying that I…" he blushed, "like him?"

Laika raised his eyebrows and sipped his punch, "I don't know, do you?"

Enzan opened and closed his mouth then without another word stalked away.

"Laika-san…" Searchman said slowly. "That was kind of mean."

Laika shrugged, "It was beginning to annoy me."

"Laika-san you're…" Searchman looked for the right word, "amazing."

"Thank you," Laika said. "I was going for that."

Searchman rolled his eyes but decided then wasn't the time to argue with his operator.


	11. Chapter 11

When the dance ended both Netto and Andrew were bright red. "Th-thank Hikaru," Andrew said softly as they walked back to the side of the room. "I know you didn't want to dance."

Netto smiled, "Well, it wasn't that bad…" he tried to admit.

/You hated it/ Rockman giggled.

/Shut up, nii-san/ Netto said in a good natured way.

/You can be really nice sometimes, you know that Netto-kun/

/Don't tell anyone/ Netto said with a mental grin.

/Netto-kun…/ Rockman said in a laughing voice.

"Hikaru?" Andrew asked.

"Hm?"

Andrew blushed, "Never mind," he said. "Is that Enzan?" he asked.

Netto blinked and saw Enzan over by the refreshment table looking more then a little upset. "Oh boy," Netto sighed.

Andrew blinked, "Is he all right?"

"Andrew, I'm going to go see what Enzan is upset," Netto said.

Andrew nodded, "All right, I'll go check in with Neil to see if anything has happened yet."

Netto rolled his eyes, "One can only hope."

Andrew laughed and nodded, "I'll contact you if anything has changed."

Netto nodded and they parted. "What is up with Enzan," Netto muttered.

"Netto-kun, don't make a scene," Rockman said in a warning tone.

Netto waved his hand, "I won't, don't worry."

Rockman smiled nervously, "Right," he said, as if trying to convince himself.

Netto walked up to Enzan and tapped him on the shoulder. "What is wrong with you?"

Enzan spun around, turned bright red and gaped at Netto. "I…"

"Enzan-sama…" Blues said slowly.

Netto waved a hand in front of his face, "Hello?" he asked.

Enzan looked slightly annoyed, "Why were you dancing?"

"What?" Netto asked.

"Why were you dancing?" Enzan repeated.

"Because, he wanted to dance and…" Netto groaned, "I have no idea. Because I felt like it," he snapped.

"You hate dancing," Enzan said.

"Why do you care?" Netto yelled.

Enzan blinked and turned a bright red, "I… um… well… never mind," he hissed.

Netto gave him an odd look, "What is wrong with you, Enzan?"

Enzan sighed, "Nothing," he muttered.

Netto opened his mouth to say something else but his PET began to ring. Netto pulled it up to see Neil's face. "We've got a problem down here," he said.

"What happened?" Netto asked.

"We've found a person who isn't on the guest lists and she has a PET," Neil said.

"I'll check it out," another voice said.

"Cathy?" Netto and Neil asked.

"You kids stay out until I call you," Cathy said. "I need you to stay alert until we know something is going on for sure. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Netto and Neil muttered.

Cathy turned off her PET and made her way over to the woman she noticed a half hour ago. She walked over and tapped the brunette on the shoulder. "Hello, Lisa," she said.

The woman called Lisa spun around and looked at Cathy. Then she gave her a big grin and hugged her tightly, "Cathy! Oh it's been ages!"

Cathy hugged her friend back and looked at her with a big grin, "You're a sight for sore eyes. What are you doing here?"

"I'm…" Lisa looked apprehensive.

"You're about to sabotage this pageant with a virus attack, just like the door yesterday and all the other problems as of late," Cathy said with a sharp gaze.

Lisa grinned, "You were always so smart. How did you figure that out?"

"Actually, my team did. Lisa, what the hell are you doing?" Cathy hissed.

"I'm stopping the glorifying of looks among women. This has to end, pageants are nothing more then showing off good looking girls and making them base themselves off their looks," Lisa replied haughtily.

"You're going to hurt innocent people!" Cathy screeched.

"You hate these things just as much as I do," Lisa said to her friend. "And you know it."

Cathy growled, "I would never, ever think of hurting people. Also, I have an undercover agent in this thing to make sure you don't hurt anyone. What are you thinking?"

"I already told you, Cathy, come on," she pleaded. "There was a time when you would drop everything and help me."

"I'm not like that anymore," Cathy said and glanced around nervously. "And you shouldn't be either," she told her quietly. "This is wrong."

Lisa looked upset, "I had hoped you would help me. So you're going to stop me, then?" Lisa asked.

Cathy touched her PET, "I will if I have too."

Lisa grinned, "Fine then, I'll see you tomorrow, I hope you can find me."

"What?" Cathy asked.

Lisa nodded and a loud explosion sounded behind her. "That would be several electric viruses blowing up the sound stage," she said with a grin. "Will you follow me or do your job."

Cathy hissed softly then ran for the sound stage.

Lisa laughed and disappeared in the panicked crowd.

"Kids, it's the sound stage!" Cathy yelled into her PET. "Plug in now!"

Everyone plugged in, and in a matter of minutes the viruses were gone, but the night was pretty much ruined. They all managed to get out of the ball room full of crying girls and nervous parents and started to walk towards the hotel quietly.

Once they got back Netto muttered, "I'm going to my room," and disappeared down the hall.

Laika raised an eyebrow and Enzan merely left without a word at all.

"Cathy, are you all right?" Andrew asked.

Cathy sighed heavily, "I'm just tired. Oh, and I have a tip, keep your eye out for tomorrow," she said.

Andrew and Neil nodded then retreated to their own rooms. "What a night," Cathy sighed.

"Who was that woman you were talking to?" Laika asked her.

Cathy looked at Laika, startled, then she grinned. "You don't miss much, do you?" she asked.

Laika shook his head, "I saw you."

Cathy nodded, "She's an old… acquaintance. I know her from college, and trust me, she will be brought down tomorrow."

Laika nodded, feeling the answer was good enough and left for his own room.

"Lisa…" Cathy sighed.

Netto took off his dress and threw it in a corner. He sighed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt. "Rockman?" he asked.

"Yes, Netto-kun?"

"Should I go talk to Enzan?"

Rockman thought for a minute, "Yeah. He seemed pretty upset," Rockman replied.

Netto sighed and put on a pair of shoes. "All right, I'll be back soon," he said.

"Okay," Rockman replied with a grin.

Netto walked out of his room and maneuvered his way to Enzan's. When he got there he knocked on the door. When Enzan opened the door he said, "We need to talk."

Enzan blinked, "About what?"

Netto crossed his arms, "About you being upset tonight for no reason. What is up?" Netto snapped.

Enzan opened his mouth a turned a bright red. "N-nothing," he said slowly.

Netto sighed, "Yes there is. Enzan, something is bothering you, and I couldn't really call myself a friend if I didn't notice that you were acting like a jerk tonight!"

"Gee, thanks," Enzan said dryly.

Netto smiled sweetly, "Well it's true."

Enzan sighed, "Netto, I have no idea why I'm in such a bad mood," Enzan lied.

Netto glared at him, "Oh please. Come on Enzan, what's wrong?"

Enzan blushed, "I… don't know," he said again.

Netto shook his head, "Well when you decide to tell me what's wrong, I'll be in my room. Good night," he said.

"Night," Enzan replied. Then he went back into his room.

"Enzan-sama, if I may, you're a horrible liar," Blues said.

Enzan sighed, "Yeah, I know."

Lisa looked around the corner where Netto was currently explaining a few things to Cathy before he turned in for the night. "So that's the undercover agent," she said. "Hm…"

The next day was nothing short of hell for any one of them, especially Netto. Cathy's emotions were in turmoil, and Netto was upset, making Rockman upset. Everyone else noticed their moods meanwhile Enzan was trying to ignore what Laika told him but he found that he couldn't. In short it made for an interesting morning.

After that Netto and Cathy went into the dressing rooms while Laika, Enzan, Andrew and Neil went to hide in various places to get ready to take down the hacker.

Netto groaned and bit his lip, "Well?" he asked.

Cathy smiled and patted him on the head, "I expect the hacker to attack rather early on. So, what I want you to do is just pull through the opening and we'll take it from there," she said.

Netto nodded and sighed. "So… what do I have to do?"

"Eveningwear," Cathy said. "You can wear the same dress you wore last night, no one will care."

Netto groaned, "Is that really what it is?" he asked.

"Be thankful it's not swimwear," Cathy said with a small smile.

Netto went from red to white rather quickly. "Yeah," he said.

/Heh… almost makes you grateful/ Rockman said.

/Yeah… almost/ Netto muttered.

Cathy sighed, "Can you get ready on your own?" she asked suddenly.

"I guess," Netto said slowly. "Why?"

"Because, I have something I need to do," Cathy said simply. "Don't worry, you can handle it."

"Um…" Netto said as she walked out of the room.

"Don't worry," she said with a wink and left.

"You can handle it," Rockman said.

Netto looked at the dress, "Yeah but I don't know how to zip that up on my own," he said.

"Oh," Rockman said slowly.

"All right, I'm in position," Laika said into his ear piece.

"See anything yet?" Neil asked.

"Not yet," Laika replied. "I haven't seen anything suspicious."

Neil groaned, "So, we're going to sit here possibly for this whole thing?" he asked.

"At least you're not up there," Andrew said softly before anyone else could say anything.

"True, true," Neil said. "But I'm also stuck in the vents. Remind me to never draw straws again."

"You told me to tell you that last time," Andrew said with a faint grin. "I told you last night, but you didn't believe me."

"Next time, get it in writing!" Neil replied.

Laika and Enzan both resisted the urge to roll their eyes but let the two friends have their conversation.

"It's starting," Enzan said quietly.

Everything went quiet and there was a hiss as the dry ice machines were started.

"Lisa!" Cathy hissed. "What are you doing?"

Lisa turned around and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I have to do this."

"No you don't!" Cathy yelled. "I have an agent who is due to go out there in 5 minutes!"

"Don't worry, it's only a statement. No one will get hurt," Lisa said.

"But, it's wrong!" Cathy cried.

"This whole thing is wrong!" Lisa yelled.

"I know that," Cathy replied. "But this isn't the way to deal with it."

Lisa held her PET behind her and let her navi into the dry ice machine. "It's my way," she said.

"Someone shoot me now," Netto growled.

Rockman smiled, "Come on Netto-kun," he said.

Netto sighed and put his PET inside a small pocket in his dress. "All right, let's just get this over with," he muttered.

Netto walked out into the hall and made sure he was at the end of the line just in case anything happened. "Well," he breathed. "This is it."

Extremely cheesy music was started that forced Netto to roll his eyes and he was very grateful no one could see him. Before the line got halfway through however there were screams and panicked yells. Netto grinned and headed out/Ha, I didn't even have to show myself/ he cheered.

/Thank god for little miracles/ Rockman asked.

/Exactly/ Netto said and ran out into the panicked crowd. Billows of fake fog were filling up the room and no one could see past a certain point.

"Netto-kun, level's of carbon dioxide are in the red zone," Rockman said. "If there are people too far in, they can't breathe."

"It's that bad?" Netto asked.

"It's that bad," Rockman replied. "Be careful," he said quietly.

Netto nodded, "Where's the origin?" he asked.

"Ten meters straight ahead, make sure not to take too many breaths, this is dangerous."

"All right," Netto said and walked into the fake cloud cover.

"Okay, I'm hearing screams," Neil said.

"The dry ice machine malfunctioned," Enzan said.

"So a huge machine is now pumping out massive amounts of CO2 into a confined area?" Andrew asked.

"I'm already at the scene," Laika said. "We need to evacuate before anything else happens."

"Keep contact open, I'm at the scene too but I can't see anyone," Neil said.

"I'm almost there," Andrew said.

"I'm there," Enzan replied. "Where's Netto."

"Netto?" Neil and Andrew asked.

Enzan almost slapped himself in the forehead, "The third member of our usual team is Netto, I meant Hikaru," he said.

"Oh," Andrew said. "I don't know, I can't contact her."

"Perfect," Enzan muttered.

"She can take care of herself," Laika said pointedly. "Stick to your mission."

"Don't worry," Enzan replied. "I am."

"Keep the link open," Neil reminded everyone then headed onto the stage.

In the background Cathy heard screams. "What did you do!" she snapped.

"I merely caused a disturbance," Lisa said. "Just to make a statement."

Cathy growled, "Lisa, I know we're friends, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you under arrest."

Lisa's eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry too," she said then she turned around and ran.

Cathy sighed exasperatedly, "Perfect," she hissed and took off after her old friend.

"Netto-kun?" Rockman asked.

"The origin is right ahead!" Netto said.

"Plug me in, quickly," Rockman said.

Netto held up his PET, "Plug in, Rockman.EXE, transmission!"

Rockman appeared in the net where a generic navi stood messing with the controls, opening vents and keeping the machine running far past what it was supposed to be run at. "Hey!" he yelled.

The navi turned around and summoned a cannon. "Stop!" it said.

Rockman held up his hands, "Please, don't! I don't want to hurt you."

It fired off several shots trying to make Rockman back off.

"Netto-kun?"

Netto coughed, "Sorry, we need to stop this," he said. "Rockman, just make it log out."

Rockman nodded, "Sorry," he said and held up his own buster.

The generic navi fired several times but Rockman merely jumped over to the other side and fired off two volley shots that forced it to log out. "Rockman, can you fix it?" Netto asked.

Rockman felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and he knew something was wrong with Netto. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Turn it off and I'll get out of here," he said in a breathless voice.

Rockman nodded and placed his hands on the files, making sure to shut down the entire machine, since it was beyond help. "Okay, Netto-kun."

Netto turned around and looked to see where he should go, "I can't see anything," he muttered.

"Just go straight behind you," Rockman said.

Netto managed to take several steps before collapsing. He heard Rockman's yells before he blacked out.

"Got you!" Cathy hissed and grabbed Lisa. She led the protesting woman to the police and left them with instructions to place her under arrest.

"You'll regret this, Cathy!" Lisa said.

Cathy sighed, "Yeah, I know," she muttered.

"Cathy," Sky said softly.

Cathy shook her head and returned to her team, "Is everyone evacuated?" she asked.

They nodded, "We got the last person out two minutes ago."

"And Hikaru?" she asked.

Everyone stopped, they had forgotten about Netto because of all the panic. Enzan managed to keep his cool and he put Blues into the system. "Find Rockman," he instructed.

Blues nodded and disappeared. "I'll get her," Enzan said and went into the foggy room.


	12. Chapter 12

Enzan ran into the billows of the fake fog that were just beginning to dissipate in the room. He couldn't even begin to know where to go and so he was completely reliant on Blue's voice and direction to keep him on the right track and out of danger.

"Enzan-sama, I've located Rockman's signal," Blues said. "It's to your far left." 

Enzan nodded and waved the opaque air out of his eyes as he looked around. Finally he saw something that looked like someone lying on the ground. He ran over to the figure and knelt down and saw that it was Netto. He hissed unhappily and checked for a pulse and breath. Both were there, but Netto's breathing was shallow and Enzan knew he was on borrowed time himself.

"Netto?" he asked calmly.

Netto groaned but didn't wake up, however he heard a small sound that told him Rockman managed to log back into his own PET.

Enzan picked up Netto and cradled him because of the dress that he was wearing. He slowly made his way first to a wall where the air was thicker then he pulled Netto out of the room to the nearest door. The door led into an empty hallway but Enzan didn't care. By that time he was also weak and he just wanted to breathe for a few minutes. Blues noted this and sent an e-mail to everyone else saying that Enzan and Netto were fine but incapacitated at the moment.

Enzan set Netto down against the wall, and then he slid to the floor himself. After a few minutes Netto coughed and began to come around. Enzan looked down at his friend and gave him a small smile, "You okay?" he asked.

Netto blinked, "What happened?"

"Well, we finished the mission," Enzan said. 

Netto took in a deep breath before saying, "Oh thank god." 

Enzan shook his head amusedly and then said, "Are you sure you're all right?"

Netto coughed, "I'll be fine, just give me a few minutes and a pair of pants."

Enzan snorted in a horrible effort to cover up a laugh and Netto eyed him, "Oh, I made you laugh?" he asked innocently.

"Shut up," Enzan said in a light voice.

Netto laughed and leaned against the wall. "Well, I for one am glad this is done."

"Yes indeed," Enzan agreed.

Later that evening, after Netto had gotten into more comfortable clothes and everyone else calmed down Cathy told them what had happened and thanked everyone for their help. "Well kids, the mission is over," she told Netto, Enzan and Laika. "Can I count on you to work with us again maybe?"

Enzan gave them a tiny smile, "Possibly," he said with the barest hint of amusement on his voice and it took all of Netto's self control not to punch him.

Cathy smiled back, "Well then, did you find what you were looking for?" he asked.

Netto opened his mouth when his PET began to ring. "Hello?" he asked.

Manabe looked relieved, "There you are," she said. "I think I may have pinpointed the location." 

Netto's eyes widened, "Really?" he gasped.

Manabe nodded, "Really."

Netto punched a fist into the air, "YES!" he cheered.

Laika sighed, "I think we just found out," he said.

Cathy laughed loudly and took Netto into a one armed hug after he hung up, "We'll be seeing you again, right?" she asked.

Netto smiled, "Um… actually…" 

Enzan shook his head, "It all depends. Maybe," he cut in. 

Andrew looked a little put out. "So, it might take awhile?" he asked.

Netto straightened up. "Well, I'm not usually here persay…" he said slowly.

Enzan coughed, "What she means is, she isn't part of our group normally, we don't know whether we'll be sent here on assignment again or not."

Netto nodded, "Right."

"Well, if you're ever in town, look us up!" Cathy said cheerfully.

Netto nodded, "All right." 

Andrew blushed as Neil pushed him forward. "B-bye," he said slowly.

Netto grinned, "Bye Andrew. Do me a favor and try something for yourself in the next few weeks. See how you like it."

Andrew's blush deepened and he nodded at Netto happily, "All right!" he said cheerfully.

Netto waved good-bye cheerfully as Laika and Enzan gave their own special, sullen good byes to their new friends.

On their way back to the hotel Netto linked his hands behind his head and sighed, "Well that was interesting."

Laika and Enzan both turned to give him wide eyed looks. "What?" Netto asked.

Laika resigned to merely shaking his head while Enzan said, "Nothing." 

"So, what did you find?" Netto said the second he set foot into the hotel room.

Manabe sighed heavily, "Well, I had to call in some favors," she said while Yui laughed in the background. "But I got a lock on a warehouse in the downtown area. You want to go check it out." 

"Yes!" Netto said.

Enzan and Laika finally made it into the room. "That would be helpful," Laika said dryly. 

Manabe smiled, "All right, let me get into some different clothes and we'll go."

"How was the mission?" Yui asked.

"Don't ask," Enzan, Netto and Laika all said at the same time.

Yui blinked several times before giving them a puzzled smile and backing away slowly.

New chapter because I love you XD

Within the half hour all five of them were out of the hotel and at the warehouse from which the signal was coming. "All right, we can't blow this," Manabe said softly. "So be careful and go in on my signal, understand?"

Netto, Enzan and Laika nodded quietly and separated to separate doors of the warehouse. "Okay," Manabe's hushed voice came through their PET's. "On my signal…" Netto drew in a sharp breath and waited. "Now!" 

Netto plugged Rockman into the electronic lock and it flashed red twice before turning green. He pushed against the door and ran inside the warehouse. In front of him was a man in his late forties typing furiously on a computer, oblivious to all around him, even after he was surrounded on all sides by Netto, Enzan, Laika and Manabe. "Um… hello?" Netto asked softly.

"Shhh…." The man said softly while continuing to type on his computer.

Netto growled angrily and walked over to the computer in three quick steps. Enzan and Laika watched with a small level of respect for Netto and pity for the man as Netto pulled the cord out of the wall. "Pay attention, old man!" he snapped.

"AH!" he yelped at the screen went blank. "Who are you?" he gasped looking up.

"I'm Netto Hikari from the Net Saviors and we've been trying to find you for weeks," Netto growled.

"I just lost five hours of work," the man said stiffly.

"Tough," Netto said hotly and gave the man a glare that made him back off from the impending argument.

Manabe cleared her throat, "Dr. Cunningham, we wish to seek your help in the recapturing and development for a cure of a virus you created."

The man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked puzzled. "Virus, I've never created any virus."

"Your transgender programs left abandoned on your computer in Electopia devolved after being infested for three months," Manabe said calmly.

"Oh," the doctor replied. "Well the, I should fix that huh?"

Netto resisted the urge to yell out in frustration while Laika and Enzan made sure to keep wary eyes on him.

"Yes, everyone would be very grateful for your help," Manabe said in her same calm voice.

Dr. Cunningham nodded, "Of course, of course, but first we need to catch the mutated program first."

"I'm afraid we have no way to locate it," Manabe pointed out.

"Hum," Dr. Cunningham cupped his chin in his hand and looked thoughtful. "Mind plugging my computer back in, dear? I have an idea."

Netto glared at him again and did as he was told, "Call me Netto," he said in a low voice and walked around to the other side of the computer.

The man blinked then smiled at Netto, "All right dear," he said simply and looked at the now glowing screen.

Enzan stepped forward and put his hands on Netto's shoulders. He whispered something in Netto's ear that made him calm down enough to reconsider what he was about to do and relax a bit. Yui breathed out softly and Manabe shook her head.

When the PC was fully booted up the doctor began to type furiously on his computer and look at several screens. "I always install a signal into my programs so they're never copied, even if it's disfigured or mutated. So, with luck this signal should appear if I activate it," he said slowly as if talking to himself.

"All right," Manabe said softly.

He typed a bit more then pressed the enter button. Shortly after a big yellow blip appeared on the screen. "The program is there," he said.

"In relation to where?" Laika asked.

"The New Amsterdam main page. It's big but I can guide you to it," Dr. Cunningham said.

Netto nodded, "All right," he said and held up his PET letting Rockman into the net. Laika and Enzan followed suit.

A link appeared in front of the three navis. "First take this link to the page," the doctor's voice told them.

The three navis jumped into it and appeared on the other side. Almost immediately they were ambushed by a wave of oncoming program traffic. "Wow, busy," Rockman said softly.

"No kidding," Netto replied. "Well, it's here somewhere."

Rockman nodded, "Right. So where to next?" 

"The program signal is coming from the main square, I'm going to have to leave the specifics to you," Dr. Cunningham said. 

/Of course/ Netto sighed.

/Be nice/ Rockman said and linked into the crowd.

/I'm trying, but who knew someone could be so scatterbrained/ Netto asked.

/You and papa come to mind/ Rockman teased.

/Okay, papa isn't that bad and I'm definitely not like that/ Netto retorted.

A small smile appeared on Rockman's lips. /Of course not/ he said slowly.

"What did he say?" Blues asked Rockman softly. 

"Nothing," Rockman replied as they landed in the square. 

"Hm," Blues said skeptically. Very few things made Rockman smile like that and it was normally not something very pleasant. It was only natural that the small blue navi had a devious side to him as well.

"See anything?" Searchman asked. 

Blues and Rockman both shook their heads. "There's so many people," Rockman sighed.

"Damnit," Netto hissed. "Is there anything else you can help us with?" Netto asked Dr. Cunningham.

"I'd look in the northern area," he replied.

"Well?" Netto asked.

Rockman walked over to that area and looked around. "I don't see anything…" he said slowly. "Hold on, I'll send you a visual."

Netto looked at the screen as Rockman scanned the area. All of a sudden a small female navi popped up in front of Rockman. "Hello!" she said cheerfully. She was dressed in a small pink dress with pale blue boots and gloves and no helmet. Her blue eyes held a very devious look in them as she played with her blond hair.

"H-hi," Rockman said slowly.

The navi girl giggled, "What's you name?" she drawled.

"Rockman," Rockman replied. 

"That's the program," Cunningham said suddenly. 

"What?" Netto and Enzan both gasped while Laika gaped at the small navi.

"Yeah, that's definitely it," Cunningham said.

The navi giggled annoyingly as Blues and Searchman ran over. "Oops, looks like I was discovered!" she cheered and vanished.

"She's headed south," Cunningham told them.

"Damnit," Netto hissed. "Catch her," he yelped while slotting an area steal battle chip into his PET. 

Rockman nodded and vanished as well.

At once Rockman, Blues and Searchman all took after the fleeing virus. The small girl like virus was jumping from point to point so quickly that it seemed as if she was teleporting. "Rockman, where is she?" Netto asked when she disappeared from the screen.

"She's nearly twenty meters ahead," Rockman replied. "She's really fast." 

"That's new," Cunningham murmured.

Netto let a slow breath hiss through his teeth as he gave Rockman another area steel chip to catch up. Enzan and Laika blinked at him then slowly edged to the side just enough that it was noticeable by Manabe and Yui. "I don't think he likes the scientist much," Yui whispered.

Manabe shook her head slowly. "No, I don't think so."

The TG virus cackled as she jumped from place to place in the busy square as Rockman, Blues and Searchman barely managed to keep up with her. "You're fast!" she giggled and vanished in a hidden link.

"Ah!" Rockman yelled as he crashed into a passerby. He grumbled at Rockman and went on while Blues helped Rockman to his feet.

"Where's the link?" Enzan asked.

Laika scanned for it with his PET while Searchman scanned with his helmet. "There," he pointed to thin air.

Rockman shrugged and tried to jump into it, followed by Blues and Searchman. The link was small and impossible to enter unless you knew exactly where it was so it took Rockman several tries before he got it. Finally all three navis made it through to see the small child thing on the other side.

"Hnnnn?" she grinned maliciously. "You're pretty good."

"Haven't you caused enough problems?" Rockman asked her.

"But making problems is fun! Everyone runs around and I laugh at them," she cheered.

Cunningham stood behind Netto and gazed at the odd creation of his. He observed it for a few minutes then took Netto's PET, much to Netto's anger, and addressed her. "Hello?" he asked.

The girl blinked as a face screen came up and Cunningham looked at her through it. "You!" she squeaked.

"Ah, so you are the Transgender Programs," he said amiably as if saying, 'You're a girl.'

The virus glared at him then crossed her arms in a cutesy way. "I don't like you!" she announced. 

Cunningham looked a little put out. "Why not?" he asked. 

She eyed him then resumed her stuck up position. "Because!" she announced.

All three navis lowered their default weapons, which had been out for some time and blinked confusedly.

"I'm confused," Cunningham murmured.

"You left an AI program plus the TG files on a virus ridden computer!" she announced. "And I was lonely! So I don't like you."

Cunningham rubbed the back of his head, "I'm…sorry," he said slowly.

"Ha! You think that's good enough!" she snapped. "Well let me tell you, it's not! You should be less scatterbrained and more nice to your creations." She struck a dramatic pose and sniffled, "We have feelings to you know."

Cunningham gaped at the odd little program. "You made her," Netto muttered.

"R-right…" Cunningham mumbled. "I'm… really sorry?" he tried again. 

Netto, Enzan and Laika all stared blankly at him, at a loss for words.

The child teared up even more. "Y-you don't love me, do you?" she sniffed. "I'm nothing, even though you created me!"

"Th-that's not true!" Cunningham insisted. "I'm sorry I abandoned that computer, I didn't realize so much time has passed since I've been to Electopia." 

The girl stopped sniffling but large tears still remained in her eyes. "You love me then?" she asked cutesily.

"Sure…" Cunningham replied.

The child gasped, "REALLY?" she squealed in a high pitched voice that made everyone wince. 

Cunningham nodded a bit more firmly, "Yes, I do."

The girl cheered, "Yatta!" she laughed and linked into Rockman's PET. "Then can I stay with you?" she asked.

Cunningham smiled warmly at her, "I don't see why not," he said.

"After we create the vaccine," Manabe said in a firm voice.

Cunningham nodded, "Sure," he replied.

"And we need to make sure this doesn't happen again," Netto added.

The navis all nodded, "Yes," they agreed in unison.

Manabe nodded, "We'll keep that in mind."

/ 

Three days later in Sci Labs everyone was returned to their proper gender and seated around a table with Cunningham and the girl at the head. "Well?" Manabe asked. "What should we do?" 

Netto sighed while Cunningham continued to stare at him. He still wasn't over the shock of Netto turning back into a guy. "I don't mind as long as it can't do the gender switching things again."

Rockman nodded in agreement, "I don't mind either."

Enzan and Laika both shrugged silently but didn't offer anything beyond that.

The virus crossed her arms in her new PET. "I'm a girl, little boy, not an it. How rude." 

Netto's eyebrow twitched but he didn't reply.

"I agree with the children. As long as something to this scale never happens again, I believe it is fine," Manabe said.

"I've removed the corrupted data so it won't spread as a virus this time," Cunningham said. "I couldn't remove the TG programs, obviously, because it's what makes up her data frame."

"That's fine. Just use her as a re-search navi then."

Cunningham nodded, "I won't battle anyways."

The girl giggled, "Well now that I can stay with daddy, then what should my super cute name be?"

"Daddy?" Netto asked.

"Well, he made me, right?" she said while putting a finger to her lips. 

"Yes," Rockman answered.

"So he's my daddy!" she replied.

Cunningham shrugged, "I don't remember creating her AI program but I don't mind."

"See!" she snapped. "Now, I want a cute name!"

Cunningham took off his glasses and cleaned them thoughtfully. "How about Stephanie?" 

"Yay!" Stephanie cheered. "I like!"

Manabe closed a book that was spread out in front of her. "That's settled then. I'll keep you under occasional surveillance to make sure you don't abandon any more computers."

Cunningham nodded, "Thank you very much."

/ 

Netto skated slowly towards his house with Laika and Enzan walking on either side of him. "Finally, it's over," Netto sighed.

"Thank god," Rockman agreed.

Laika gave a side glance to Enzan who glared back and Netto remained oblivious. Laika sighed and said, "I'm going to go back to my dorm and file a report with my government. I'll see you two tomorrow," he said and walked down another street.

"Hmm…" Netto said as he watched Laika's retreating back. "He left quickly."

Enzan sighed, "Subtle as a rock," he muttered.

"Huh?" Netto asked.

"Nothing," Enzan answered quickly.

Netto skated in front of Enzan and began to skate backwards in front of him. "Sooo, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Enzan admitted.

"Want to get ice cream?" Netto asked. 

Enzan looked at Netto's face and smiled. "Sure," he replied. "That sounds nice."

Netto cheered, "Awesome. You're treating!"

Enzan laughed, "Fine."

Netto blinked and looked at him. "What, no fight?"

"I'm not in the mood," Enzan teased.

Netto laughed and resumed his skating next to Enzan. Enzan glanced over at Netto and smiled softly, maybe one day he would admit his feelings, but for that moment in time he was perfectly content.


End file.
